Granit Xhaka's brutally honest assessment of his X-rated rant Newcastle United supporters loved
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has one particularly negative memory when is comes to facing Newcastle United.
Granit Xhaka joined Sunderland in the summer and has already made quite the impression on Wearside.
The former Arsenal midfielder returned to the Premier League after a spell at Bayer Leverkusen and has already been hailed as one of the signings of the season so far.
The 33-year-old has started all of Sunderland’s Premier League matches this season as they head into Sunday’s derby match against Newcastle United, sitting a point ahead of them in the table.
Xhaka boasts a solid record against The Magpies from his time at Arsenal, scoring a free-kick in a 2-1 win at St James’ Park in 2018. The Swiss international lost on his first visit to St James’ Park but it was another defeat back in 2022 that stings for the Sunderland star.
Granit Xhaka’s X-rated Newcastle United rant
Newcastle had turned their season around under Eddie Howe and secured Premier League survival with games to spare. They hosted Arsenal at St James’ Park in the penultimate game of the 2021/22 campaign with Mikel Arteta’s side still chasing Champions League qualification.
At half-time, the match was goalless but Newcastle were the ones applying the pressure on Arsenal. It prompted an expletive-laden rant from Xhaka in the dressing room at half-time.
In footage shown on Amazon’s All or Nothing series focusing on Arsenal’s season, Xhaka was filmed saying: “Guys we are dreaming of the f----- Champions League. We are playing like a second division team, man. Everyone! Wake up now for 45 minutes guys. We have to play how they are playing. F--- me! Wake up guys! Wake up!"
Ultimately, Newcastle won the match 2-0 thanks to a Ben White own goal and another from Bruno Guimaraes. Arsenal ended up missing out on Champions League qualification to fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur on the back of it.
While Xhaka’s dressing room comments weren’t aired until months later, the midfielder spoke live to Sky Sports after the game and was critical of his Arsenal side.
"It's difficult to find the right words. From the first minute to the 90th we didn't deserve to be on the pitch,” he said.
"I can't explain to you why. We didn't do what the game plan was, not listening to the coach. What happened was a disaster performance. You don't deserve to play Champions League or even Europa League. It's very hard to take it at the moment.
"I don't know why we're not doing what the coach is asking for us.
"If someone isn't ready for this game, stay at home. It doesn't matter your age. If you're nervous, stay on the bench or stay at home.
“You need people to have the balls to come here and play. It's one of the most important games for us. We're feeling very disappointed for the people who came over here.
"We are waiting for six years. We had everything in our hands. We looked like we were in the position where Newcastle are and they were where we are."
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Granit Xhaka looks ahead to Sunderland v Newcastle United derby
One thing that is clear from Xhaka’s comments is his passion and the standards he expects of his teammates.
He may well have been coming up against Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday night as his former club Bayer Leverkusen played out a 2-2 draw with The Magpies. Instead, the midfielder and his Sunderland teammates have spent the full week gearing up for Sunday’s derby clash.
And in an interview with Sky Sports looking ahead to the Newcastle game, Xhaka was asked about his brutally honest comments after what was his first encounter of Eddie Howe’s United side.
“Yes, I got some criticism after this game,” he admitted. “I am a guy, I am very honest and very straightforward. If it is going in both ways, I don't mind. I like to be honest. If you have a bad day, you need to accept, handshake and you move forward.
“What I can't accept is if you don't put everything on the pitch. If you put everything on the pitch and still you lose or you draw or whatever happens in the game, you can accept, but not to put in a derby, in a big game like Newcastle is for us on Sunday. It means a lot, and we need to give and to feed the fans that this game is much more than just a game.”
It’s the first Premier League Tyne-Wear derby in almost a decade and one that is shaping up to be a fiercely competitive encounter after Sunderland’s unbeaten start to the league season at the Stadium of Light.
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Eddie Howe on derby clash
It will be Howe’s second derby against Sunderland as Newcastle head coach. In January 2024, The Magpies secured a 3-0 FA Cup third round win at the Stadium of Light.
Back then, Sunderland were the Championship underdogs, now they head into the game above Newcastle in the Premier League table and as relative equals.
Looking ahead to the match, Howe said: “I look at these games as positives. I want to experience the biggest games possible. I think you want to throw yourself into the biggest challenges possible.
“And I think this game will be one that we'll always remember. Hopefully for the right reasons. Hopefully because someone's made the difference and created a memorable moment for our supporters.