Arsenal: Shkodran Mustafi hits on advantage of the new

Shkodran Mustafi has spoken of the added competition in the Arsenal squad because of Unai Emery’s arrival. It is the advantage of the new and it will help the Gunners this season.

There are few worse things in a football club than individuals becoming complacent. It allows them to slip into a state of ease and comfort. They no longer push themselves to improve, they can develop bad habits and their performance level often drops. Arsenal, under the protection and loyalty of Arsene Wenger, have experienced this for many years.

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But no more. Wenger, as we all know, has resigned. Unai Emery is now in charge, and he has no prior ties to any of these players, he has no loyalty, he simply has to pick the best 11, and he has shown that he will be ruthlessly in doing so.

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The greater competition that Emery is encouraging in the squad has not gone unnoticed. Shkodran Mustafi, in a recent interview with the London Evening Standard, had this to say when commenting on the current make-up of the squad:

"“Competition is something that brings you to the next level, because if you have no competition and you know you are starting week in, week out, it takes a little bit of the quality [away]. When you know you have someone standing on your toes, you are going to be try and be better and better every week <…> Everyone is quite happy with the people we have in the changing room. There’s no people fighting each other or something like this. There is competition but healthy competition and that is something that is going to bring us forward.”"

The competition that Mustafi speaks of is unquestionably positive for this team. Just as he says, it is an added motivator for these players, knowing that if they do not perform as is expected, then they will be dropped.

Take Hector Bellerin, for instance. The Spaniard played more than 3000 minutes last season. He was utterly comfortable in the right-back position because there wasn’t another natural replacement in the squad. When it did come to deputising for him, Wenger turned to Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who had played at left back, left wing-back and central midfield that season already.

But now, with Stephan Lichtsteiner added to the mix, a true right back with great experience and a proven winning record, Bellerin can no longer just rest on his laurels. Lichtsteiner arrived at the Emirates knowing that he would not be the initial starter. But he would also know that if Bellerin’s form depreciated, he would be ready to take his place. That, from Bellerin’s perspective, is added motivation to continue working hard.

It is the advantage of having a new manager. Emery brings no loyalty, no protection. He simply demands to be impressed during the time that he is their coach. And that yields great competition, competition that should help Arsenal throughout the season.