Arsenal manager Unai Emery has praised Granit Xhaka’s commitment after the Switzerland international was once again played out of position against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
The Gunners were short of options against their north London rivals in the EFL Cup quarter-final tie, and Xhaka played alongside Sokratis at the heart of the defence.
This cup tie wasn’t the first time Xhaka has played out of position as he was used in a makeshift left-back role when both Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac were out injured.
Though Arsenal lost the game 2-0, Emery lauded Xhaka’s commitment to help the team as their resources have been stretched of late.
“The players are helping us with their commitment, playing in different positions because the team needs them sometimes like today, because after Sunday it was a lot of minutes on the pitch for Koscielny to play today 90 minutes”, Emery told a press conference after the game.
“He is helping and I am happy with him and his performance because his commitment to help us is very important.”
Xhaka won more tackles than his partner Sokratis on the night, but could not stop Spurs from progressing into the semi-final of the competition.
The Gunners have now lost successive games in all competitions following their 22-game unbeaten run, and will hope to bounce back against Burnley when the two sides square off in the Premier League on Saturday.
