Arsenal: Shkodran Mustafi makes it clear what was missing

Arsenal brought Shkodran Mustafi back straight away from his injury and the decision was brilliant. This man has become a sentinel.

Arsenal put together a masterclass in the North London Derby, displaying supreme organization and compactness en route to what may become a major turning point in the season. Right in the middle of all of it, and undoubtedly a major part of why everything came together so well, was Shkodran Mustafi.

I made a joke after the match that Shkodran Mustafi was going to have to change into cargo pants soon because he has to be running out of pocket space to keep all these strikers in. Alvaro Morata, Diego Costa and now Harry Kane are hanging out with the lint in the German’s pocket, and you have to imagine there are plenty more to come.

It was right around where Mustafi was positioned all game that the Gunners were supposed to have their problems. Just behind Granit Xhaka and between the centerbacks. This is where they have struggled all year, both with organization and with individual ability.

But one thing changed and, all of a sudden, everything clicked into place. That one thing that changed was the man with fuller pockets than he had last night, Shkodran Mustafi.

Think about it for a second – Arsenal has had three really bad losses this year: Liverpool, Watford and Manchester City. Shkodran Mustafi was not on the pitch for any of those losses. That’s nine goals in three games that the Gunners surrendered without Mustafi.

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With Mustafi, the Gunners have played six Premier League matches and surrendered all of one goal. If that isn’t a testament to the man’s quality, then I most certainly have no idea what is.

It comes from two things. The first thing is communication. Clearly Mustafi is an organizer capable of keeping the talent that Arsenal has in place. Not just in the defense, but in the midfield. Tottenham barely had a legitimate chance for the first hour or so, and Harry Kane certainly didn’t have much of a chance.

The second thing is his athleticism and ball-playing ability. The fact that he sits central to everything means he is directly behind the midfield, who have so often been bested. With Mustafi right behind them, keeping things organized and working as a midfield sweeper of sorts, problems disappear.

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The fact that Mustafi scored a goal was just icing on the cake. He was fantastic throughout, leading the pitch in clearances and holding everything together like Gorilla glue. This was defense at its best and it was clearly the missing piece.

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