Arsenal head coach Unai Emery is as much to blame for Granit Xhaka being booed by his own fans.
That's the view of Gunners legend Martin Keown.
Xhaka, who is the club captain, was substituted to a chorus of boos with the team being held 2-2 by Crystal Palace at the weekend and he reacted by swearing at the fans whilst also removing his shirt in anger.
But as Keown has pointed out, the Switzerland international had already been a target of supporters' ire at the Emirates Stadium prior to the Palace game and feels he shouldn't have been placed in that situation by the boss.
"Sunday was not the first time Granit Xhaka has been jeered by his own fans. It happened on September 22, too, when Aston Villa visited," Keown wrote in his Daily Mail column. "Villa were leading 2-1 at the time and Xhaka was substituted to a chorus of boos.
"Arsenal, despite being down to 10 men, went on to win 3-2 without the midfielder.
"Then five days later, Unai Emery named Xhaka as captain anyway.
"Emery is as much to blame as anyone. If you let the players pick their skipper, then it becomes a popularity contest and that is not what leadership is about.
"I've never had a manager who decided the captaincy that way and, for me, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is still the safer bet."
At present, Xhaka remains Arsenal captain.
Although Emery wouldn't confirm or deny if the midfielder will be stripped of the armband in the coming days.
"It's not the moment to speak about that," he told reporters after the draw against Palace. "First, I want to speak with him and the club, and we want to stay calm before we speak about that.
"He was not right to do that."
