Arsenal: Don’t think any less of Konstantinos Mavropanos

Arsenal fans can be a fickle bunch, particularly towards their own players, and while I shouldn’t have to, I’d like to remind everyone to chill about Konstantinos Mavropanos.

All any Arsenal fan could talk about these past few matches was Konstantinos Mavropanos. The 20-year-old Greek defender was treated like a member of the pantheon when he faced Burnley. He was cheered for every single action, whether it be three foot pass or unnecessary (but certainly enjoyed) crunching tackle that earned him a foul.

It was this meanness, this ferocity, that so many Gooners were missing in this defensive backline. There was always plenty of talent there, and there always will be, but no one was really mean. It’s also what endeared Rob Holding so quickly to the fanbase.

People are still taking about Mavropanos, but for different reasons. After his red card against Leicester City, which came after his first costly mistake, some questioned if maybe they had jumped the gun on the Greek defender, and if he really could be counted on in a large capacity next year.

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Let me come right out and say it – he can. Don’t let one little mistake convince you otherwise. As I mentioned in a previous article, this is all part of the growing process. We’ve seen plenty of players go through such a process.

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Laurent Koscielny had to grow into the defender that he became. He wasn’t ready made. Calum Chambers provides arguably the best example, as he has erased all of his old mistakes and now stands as perhaps the most reliable defender we have (and that’s not a bad thing).

Mavropanos was going to have his problems, just like Holding did (and still will) and just like Chambers did (and hopefully won’t anymore). That doesn’t make him any less worthy of the hype that was being piled on him throughout his first few matches.

Not least of all because, if anything, this mistake is going to make him even better than he was originally pegged as. These are the kinds of mistakes that have a way of making a guy change pretty quickly. Again, Chambers has had such a transformation happen to him. You never see him dally on the ball anymore, nor will you likely ever see it again.

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That’s next for Mavropanos. He is learning the stakes more and more and, when we see him again – hopefully next year – we will see the talented young man that we expected.