Manager of Arsenal Arsene Wenger has revealed the rationale behind the substitution of Alex Iwobi in Arsenal’s dramatic 2-1 win over Burnley shortly after Granit Xhaka was sent off.
Xhaka was sent off by referee Jon Moss for a wild lunge on Steven Defour in the 65th minute, forcing Wenger into rearranging his team by bringing in Francis Coquelin for Iwobi four minutes after they were reduced to 10 men.
Iwobi’s substitution sparked mixed reactions from Arsenal fans, with many opposed to his substitution even though he was given a standing ovation by the fans as he walked off the pitch.
Wenger was berated for not taking off either Mesut Ozil or Aaron Samuel especially as Iwobi was pulling his weight in the middle to good effect before his substitution.
” We had to react to Xhaka’s red card by bringing on Coquelin for Iwobi, who was our alternate midfielder. Burnley played very well and made it hard for us to break them down, it was a hard fought win”, Wenger said at the post match conference.
