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Football London
Football London
Sport
Lee Wilmot

'Emery's last game' - The Arsenal fans with a theory over why Granit Xhaka is back in the team

Granit Xhaka is back in the Arsenal starting XI.

And that has split the fanbase.

Many supporters on social networking site Twitter have praised the decision to bring the Swiss international back into the fold following his run-in with the Arsenal fans at the end of October.

Xhaka reacted angrily to being substituted by Unai Emery and being booed by his own fans, cupping his ear to the crowd before gesturing for them to give him some more.

He pulled off his shirt as he walked off and headed straight down the tunnel.

He issued a statement in the days that followed, after he was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy, and it was hardly an apology, more a question over why the supporters reacted in the way they did.

Xhaka has been expected to seek a move elsewhere in January, having not played since that game, but he is now back in the starting lineup as Arsenal take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

Unai Emery: Granit Xhaka could play against Frankfurt

Other supporters have condemned the decision by Emery to reinstate the former skipper, thinking he is not deserving of a place in the first team.

However, there are quite a few who think they have a theory as to why the Swiss is back in.

There will be a lower attendance inside the Emirates on Thursday night as a result of Frankfurt's supporter ban. And not only that but a protest against Emery's leadership means there are likely to be far fewer Arsenal fans in the stadium either.

And with fewer supporters to fall out with it could be a good time for Emery to re-integrate Xhaka back into the team.

Others have suggested that they will see a "disasterlcass in Emery's final game".

We wait to see what sort of performance Xhaka and Arsenal can conjure.

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