Arsenal: Difference-maker still Shkodran Mustafi baffling critics

Arsenal more or less shocked quite a few people when they so handily took care of Tottenham, but as conclusive as it was, why is the same mistake happening again?

When the pre-match hype was in full flow prior to the North London Derby, there were so many people out there belittling Arsenal’s chances. The power shift was surging, remember? There were two main places that the Gunners were supposed to be overrun – in the midfield and in defense.

Dembele and Alli and Eriksen were supposed to be set to trample the Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey partnership and Harry Kane was supposed to be unmanageable for the Gunners defense.

What ended up happening, and what might have actually broken Spurs season, was that they were completely dominated in these two arenas. And I’m actually saying that from an unbiased standpoint. There was no breathing room in the middle of the pitch for Tottenham, going up to the attack.

What changed? Well, the midfield crew was the same. Aaron Ramsey was a huge part of the success, as he a managed five tackles on his own.

But the big change was Shkodran Mustafi. The German was tucked right behind this midfield pairing and was able to help clean up midfield advances as well as making Harry Kane as effective as a clump of hair.

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You’d think people would learn a lesson. That maybe Ramsey and Mustafi combined are enough t not only prevent this midfield from getting overrun, but to actually help them thrive.

Nope. People don’t learn. I can’t count the number of people who have said that this Manchester United midfield is going to overrun the Arsenal midfield, or that their attack is just too big. Fun fact: it’s not.

And it’s getting smaller. Fellaini and Matic are out. Yeah, Pogba is talented and strong, but he isn’t going to be a wrecking ball to this Arsenal midfield. And with Mustafi lurking behind that midfield line, I feel no fear, no trepidation, that anything that is being forecasted is actually going to pass.

Because we’ve been here before. Critics said these exact same things before the North London Derby and Mustafi clearly baffled them with his presence. So rather than reassess their antiquated beliefs, they are playing the same tune, claiming that Arsenal may get overrun in key areas.

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I’ll put my faith in Mustafi long before I put my faith in critics and their inability to believe in what is unfolding before their eyes. Mustafi is a prime-time defender and nobody seems to want to give him credit for the massive difference he can make as an individual.

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