'I will smash you', Granit Xhaka reveals his threat to Arsenal teammates
Granit Xhaka
Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka has revealed that his Arsenal teammates representing Brazil were left worried after he jokingly made a threat to them.
At a pre-match conference, Xhaka told the reporters he had a conversation with his Brazilian teammates Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli before leaving for Qatar which left an impression on the South Americans.
"We were joking before the World Cup to come here and of course; it is always good if you have teammates opposite you, but we are professional footballers, and for 90 minutes. I told Gabby Martinelli and Gabby Jesus if you are running one against our goalkeeper, I will smash you!" said Xhaka.
The Arsenal player added that Jesus and Martinelliknew that if he hit them, he will hit them hard.
"It doesn't matter that we are playing in the same team. This is the World Cup. You play for your own team; you play for your own country, and you want to win. Of course, they were worried. They know me. If I smash you, it will be very, very hard."
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Switzerland and Brazil will square up against each other today at Stadium 974. Both will be coming on the back of victories but Xhaka asserted that his team will have to be at their best to nick the three-points.
"We will have to be much more careful against Brazil than we were against Cameroon. If you lose the ball against Brazil, you pay for it. They have great quality...the favourites in the tournament, but it is one game. Anything can happen."
Xhaka's resurgence
Xhaka has had a revival in fortunes in the last 12 months. After falling out of favour with the manager and the Arsenal fans, the Swiss has managed to turn around the wheel.
He is one of the most influential players on the pitch for the Gooners at the moment and is playing an important part in Arteta's resurgence of Arsenal.
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For the national team, Xhaka was on-song in the first game where theRossocrociati beat Cameroon 1-0.
(With inputs from agencies)
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