Arsene Wenger – This star must “control his game”

Following a tense 2-0 victory over Burnley, Arsene Wenger has warned that Granit Xhaka must “control his game” in the future. 

The Swiss international was sent off after 65 minutes following a rash two-footed lunge on Steven Defour. Although Alexis Sanchez saved Arsenal’s blushes with a late penalty winner, Wenger has insisted that Xhaka deserved a red card but also that the midfielder must adapt his game. 

“Xhaka’s red, honestly I have to look at it again but the noises I get are that it was a red card. If it’s a bad tackle it’s a red card.”

“He has to control his game and not punish the team with a lack of control in his tackling. We don’t encourage our midfielders to go down on tackling, we want them to stand up and not to make this kind of fouls.”

Granit Xhaka has now picked up two red cards already in his Arsenal career and nine in three seasons for club and country. Moreover, the Swiss international is now set to miss Arsenal’s next four games against Watford, Hull, Southampton in the FA Cup and crucially, against Chelsea.