Arsenal: Shkodran Mustafi is not the scapegoat you’re looking for

Arsenal’s defense was abysmal against Newcastle United, but to blame Shkodran Mustafi is irresponsible and ignores the bigger picture.

Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle United was brought about by some shocking defense that deserves the scrutiny that it’s receiving. However, the individual performances do not necessarily deserve the intense backlash that they are getting.

For instance, to strictly blame one man – who is apparently Shkodran Mustafi – for the collapse, is not only unrealistic, but actually rather ignorant of the bigger picture of what is going on here.

Individual mistakes have been a big problem this year across the board, but again, they are across the board. Consummate professionals like Laurent Koscielny and Petr Cech have been making the same boneheaded mistakes that Calum Chambers or Mustafi have been making.

Related Story: 5 Things Learned Against Newcastle

Now granted, there are exceptions. There are times where you can say that an individual dropped the ball and that made the whole defense look bad because they were unable to pick up the pieces in time. But on the whole, that has typified maybe 15% of the problem.

The bigger problem, the 85% of the problem, is a systematic failing that isn’t solved by replacing Mustafi, as many people are suggesting. Mustafi is a very good defender. Let me say that again, because I can hear you seething – Mustafi is a very good defender. You can see it more times than not. The problem is not in Mustafi’s individual ability, it’s in the lack of consistency that this defense has as a unit.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

For instance, consider that Mustafi has had a rotating centerback partner every time he takes the pitch. One day it’s Koscielny, the next it’s Chambers, the next it’s Rob Holding. That means that on any given matchday, he has to completely reassess what he has alongside him and change his game to accommodate.

Or at least, that’s what some people seem to be expecting of him. It’s completely unrealistic. Mustafi is a very able defender that is being put in experimental situations and when that experiment fails, he is being blamed because he is the guy people see most often and, as such, the guy that is most associated with this club’s inability to defend.

Mustafi is not a baby-sitter, at least not yet. He is a leader, but asking him to coordinate a failing defense when the personnel in that defense is changing by the day, that is a task that not even the greatest defenders could master.

Mustafi was at his best when he had a consistent partner next to him in Koscielny. Just like Koscielny is at his best when he has a consistent partner next to him, like he had with Mertesacker.

What we need isn’t to replace Mustafi. What we need is to reassess a failing system and given Mustafi a consistent, reliable partner in the center of defense and leave it at that. You can’t expect him to take on all these changes, playing every single match, and come out the other end looking peachy.

Next: 3 Players To Help Defensive Disaster

Arsenal have a truly special defender here, but as is often the case, he is being asked far too much of in a situation that is gradually deteriorating.