Arsenal: Shkodran Mustafi the answer no matter the question

It’s all about the defense. Arsenal can’t seem to keep the ball out of their own net, so, in terms of solutions, no matter the question, the answer is Shkodran Mustafi.

Arsenal’s shambolic defense has been at fault for far too much this year. In terms of team defense, the Gunners are tied for eighth in the Premier League with Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion. For all the fun we have at the expense of Liverpool’s defense and the horrific Dejan Lovren, we are equal to them.

That’s a scary proposition, and it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Liverpool’s defense is Ragnar Klavan, Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip. We have Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal. The latter is pure experience, the former is pure wildcard.

Yet we are equal. So the problem needs a solution. Conveniently, thanks to over-obvious numbers, the solution is what it who it has always appeared to be – Shkodran Mustafi.

With Shkodran Mustafi on the pitch, the Gunners have given up just four goals in ten appearances. Without him, 12 goals surrendered in nine appearances. That’s a big difference. Three times as many goals surrendered when Mustafi isn’t on the pitch.

And it’s not just in the numbers. It’s in what we see on the pitch.

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You want to talk about communication, Mustafi is the skeleton key. While Laurent Koscielny can get down on himself and lose track of his coordinating abilities, Mustafi never does. He is always communicating and coordinating his team mates and, clearly, it pays off.

Arsenal was also a bit battered in the midfield by Liverpool because they were too slow to close down opposing attacks. Mustafi solves that too. As the centerpiece of the back three, he plays tucked in behind the midfield and utilizes his superb athleticism and instincts to ensure that there isn’t a lot of space to be found, even when the midfield is out of position.

To this day, Mustafi’s implosion against United remains his only baffling moment. But the numbers simply do not lie. Some numbers can be misleading, but these are not those kinds of numbers. Split down the middle in terms of appearances and three times the difference.

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Ideally, we will be back to the back three after that Liverpool fiasco. Ideally, that will include Mustafi in the center. I would prefer to see further shake-ups in terms of who else is back there, but for now, I will happily settle with anything that involves the German.

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