Arsene Wenger has called on Granit Xhaka to stop giving away needless penalties, but also said the Switzerland midfielder has improved his defensive abilities during his time with the Gunners.
Xhaka was responsible for Bournemouth's second goal in the 3-3 Premier League draw on Tuesday when he bundled over Ryan Fraser in the area to gift the hosts a spot kick in the first half. It was the second penalty he has conceded this season after putting his arm in the face of Joe Allen against Stoke in December.
"He has conceded a few penalties, and I agree with you he has to stop that," Wenger said. "But it's always penalties [where you can question] is it really a penalty or not? I think he was unlucky on both occasions. But he has to adapt, it's part of the adaptation to the league.
"I think especially the other night, it was a really soft challenge. Because if it's a penalty, why is it not a foul on Hector Bellerin [in the lead-up to Bournemouth's third goal]? It's not even similar, the challenge on Hector was much bigger. So I think he was a bit unlucky, but has even to correct that, yes."
Xhaka arrived at the Emirates in a £30 million deal from Borussia Monchengladbach this summer with a reputation for being a hard-tackling player with a habit of earning both bookings and red cards. He was sent off against Swansea in the Premier League for a tackle from behind, but had been controlling his aggression better in recent games when playing next to holding midfielder Francis Coquelin.
Coquelin pulled a hamstring against Bournemouth, though, and with Mohamed Elneny away on international duty it will likely force Xhaka to shoulder even more defensive duties for the Gunners over the coming month. And Wenger insisted that's an area of his game that has improved since his summer arrival.
"Overall I'm quite happy with his defensive evolution," Wenger said. "He's less spectacular in his tackling, he stays more on his feet, he uses his body better to win the challenges. And his recovery runs are stronger when the ball goes behind him. ... So he's much more focused defensively than before, and he's improved a lot on that front."