Arsenal: “Big game” Shkodran Mustafi can do the unthinkable

Arsenal need to silence Harry Kane, and lucky for them, they have the perfect candidate to accomplish that feat – “big game” Shkodran Mustafi.

Arsenal’s upcoming North London Derby has a lot of talking points, not least of all Harry Kane’s 20 goals in his past 24 of such fixtures. He certainly has the Gunner’s number and the cast and crew of this defense has remained the same that he has scored off of so many times before.

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Except for Shkodran Mustafi. Harry Kane has never scored an open-play goal when Shkodran Mustafi is on the pitch. Now, granted, they have only faced off once, but that’s still something. Because, while people will debate whether Mustafi is the defender the club needs (I’ll say he most certainly is), you cannot debate if he knows how to step up to the pressure.

We have seen Mustafi, not once, not twice, but thrice shut down Chelsea’s “fearsome” strikers. Diego Costa was completely negated in his first ever appearance against the German, in the Gunners memorable 3-0 win over the to-be champions.

In the reverse fixture, despite falling 3-1, Costa was held largely in check thanks again to Mustafi.

Then, in our first meeting with Chelsea this year, at Stamford Bridge no less, Mustafi completely pocketed Alvaro Morata. And with that, all questions of his quality should have been erased, but it’s never that easy.

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Tottenham are next. As mentioned, Kane’s only goal against Arsenal with Mustafi on the pitch came from a spot-kick which Mustafi had no part in conceding.

We can ride this momentum. Stick Mustafi on Kane and tell him to pretend like he’s wearing blue. Mustafi has a proven ability to shut down top quality strikers and no one needs a good shutting down like Harry Kane.

It seems like an impossible task, but Diego Costa had a pretty annoying track record against the Gunners until he came up against the German. Those who are more audaciously in support of Mustafi, such as myself, may even say that Mustafi began the downward spiral of the temperamental Spaniard. Which was then capped off by Mustafi’s fill-ins in the FA Cup Final.

If there is anyone in this defense who can accomplish this task, it is Mustafi, who has a superb track record with such tasks.

Next: North London Derby Combined XI

Of course, in order for any of this to happen, Mustafi has to start. Thankfully, he has returned to training, and that is the first step. Now he just has to pass a fitness test.