“This guy isn’t human”, “Proving the doubters wrong” – Arsenal fans hail 29-year-old ‘mentality monster’ after his performance in 3-0 win at Bournemouth

Arsenal fans heap praise on often-maligned midfielder
Arsenal fans heap praise on often-maligned midfielder

Arsenal fans have heaped praise on midfielder Granit Xhaka following his performance against Bournemouth in their Premier League clash on August 20.

The Gunners continued their incredibly impressive start to the campaign as they thrashed the Cherries 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium and maintained their 100% record.

A Martin Odegaard brace coupled with a superb William Saliba strike secured a comfortable victory for Mikel Arteta's side over the newly promoted outfit. However, one player who Arsenal fans were quick to praise on social media was Xhaka.

The Swiss midfielder has been one of the most divisive figures in English football in recent years, having faced constant criticism for his displays. Errors leading to goals and mistimed red cards often made Xhaka a figure of fun for fans, and the midfielder even had the captaincy taken off him in 2018.

However, he has been exemplary in his performances so far this term and even provided an assist against Bournemouth for Saliba's wonder strike.

Following the full-time whistle on the South Coast, fans jumped on Twitter to praise the tenacious midfielder:


Martin Odegaard hails 'solid' Arsenal performance

Odegaard scored a superb brace as he captained his side to a third consecutive victory to move the Gunners to the top of the table.

After the game, the Norwegian was asked about his team's performance by Sky Sports, to which Odegaard replied (as per BBC Sport):

"It was really solid from start to the end. We came out and dominated, made some good chances and scored some good goals. We know it’s always difficult coming to these places. We have struggled before but we were so sharp and aggressive. It was a good performance from start to finish."

The playmaker further added:

"Compared to last season we are a little bit ahead but we have to stay calm and we have to stay humble and see where it takes us."

One player who has earned widespread acclaim has been Gabriel Jesus, who joined from Manchester City over the summer. He has scored twice and provided three assists in his first three appearances for the Gunners and looks as though he has a major point to prove.

On his team's new striker, Odegaard proclaimed:

"He is not just about goals. He gives us so much in the play and he drops down to combine. He is brilliant and he is amazing to play with. We are lucky to have him here."

Arsenal will next face another newly-promoted side Fulham at the Emirates on Saturday, August 27.

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