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‘Granit Xhaka reveals he is still scarred by Arsenal title race collapse as Bayer Leverkusen chase down Bundesliga crown
Granit Xhaka remains cautious despite Bayer Leverkusen’s commanding 10-point lead at the summit of the Bundesliga, drawing from his past experiences at Arsenal.
Xhaka has been instrumental in Leverkusen’s impressive undefeated march towards potentially securing their maiden Bundesliga title this season. With Die Werkself comfortably ahead of Bayern Munich, their closest pursuers, Xhaka remains vigilant, mindful of the possibility of a late-season collapse – a scenario reminiscent of his time at Arsenal. Last season, Xhaka witnessed Arsenal squander a significant lead, allowing Manchester City to swoop in and clinch the title.
Speaking to ESPN after Sunday’s 2-0 win over 10-man Koln, Xhaka said: “We should be proud of our position but nothing is won yet – I am speaking from my own experience of last season [at Arsenal]. We had a similar points advantage over the team in second and we did not win the league, so I know this experience and I have shared it with the dressing room. Ten points is a lot when you have 10 games left, but there are still 30 points left to take so it is not over.”
In the 2022-23 season, Arsenal had surged ahead of Manchester City by eight points at one juncture before succumbing to a late-season collapse. Remarkably, the Gunners occupied the top spot for 248 days throughout the campaign, setting a Premier League record for the longest time at the summit without ultimately clinching the title.
Given this history, Granit Xhaka is determined to avoid a similar fate with Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen widened their lead at the Bundesliga summit to 10 points with a victory over Koln, following Bayern Munich’s draw with Freiburg on Friday night. Manager Xabi Alonso’s impressive leadership has garnered admiration, attracting interest from clubs like Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
Having maintained an undefeated streak all season, Leverkusen remains in contention for silverware on three fronts. Their focus now shifts to the Europa League, with a challenging fixture against Qarabag awaiting them in Azerbaijan for the last 16 first leg.