Arsenal Vs Brighton: Shkodran Mustafi makes his marker

Shkodran Mustafi made his marker as to why he should be the future of the Arsenal defence in the loss to Brighton and Hove Albion, but not in the good way that he would have been hoping for.

When he was signed for £35 million, it was hoped that Shkodran Mustafi, at 24 years of age when the transfer was made, would develop into the future anchor of the Arsenal defence for years to come. Nearly two years later, we are still waiting for him to prove that he has the quality and the character to fulfil that role.

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Mustafi has endured a rough run of form. In the two games against Manchester City last week, he was positionally exploited on several occasions, with the nuanced movement of Sergio Aguero able to perfectly place Mustafi where he wanted such that he could take advantage. That was especially true for the first goal in the Carabao Cup final, in which Aguero’s bump nudged Mustafi under the long goal kick and out of the play. Aguero would proceed to break the deadlock.

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And while Mustafi himself was lambasted for that crucial individual error, and deservedly so, it was a human error that does happen from time to time. The problem is when it becomes a more consistent issue that can hinder the team repeatedly. As Sunday’s loss to Brighton proved, that is becoming a distinct possibility for a player renowned for his over-eagerness, positional aggression, which can often lead to positional naivety, and lapse marking.

Glenn Murray simply out-foxed Mustafi. As Pascal Gross received the ball on the right flank after a loose Laurent Koscielny pass and ill-judged charge inside by Sead Kolasinac gave him time and space to pick his delivery, Murray peeled off the back of Mustafi, who was utterly unaware of his position, waited for the pin-point cross to sail over the head of the German defender, and slant his header down and low, under the body of Petr Cech, who perhaps should have done better.

Unfortunately, though, this was not the only time that Mustafi was caught out of position. He was extremely anticipatory in his play, wanting to intercept the ball at every possible opportunity, he was too quick to commit to the challenge, often going to the ground to do so, and Brighton, primarily through the intelligent, if slow, movement of Murray, and the speed and directness of Jose Izquierdo on the left wing, exposed his green, innocent defending.

And this is another performance in a growing list that suggests he lacks the necessary consistency and concentration to ever anchor the defence across a whole season. Thierry Henry spoke of Arsenal’s struggles in the league being because of the variance of the performances of the individual players. Perhaps no one embodies that shortcoming as clearly as Mustafi. And for a centre-half, a position in which consistency is king, that is criminal.

Next: Arsenal Vs Brighton: 5 things we learned

Mustafi laid down his marker to be Arsenal’s future at centre-half. Unfortunately, he missed. Badly.