Arsenal: Just how good is Shkodran Mustafi?

Arsenal’s defense is the biggest question of their season thus far, but it can start to find a solution when we finally deduce just how good Shkodran Mustafi is.

Arsenal have gotten progressively better, more or less, as this season had gone on, but there are still so many questions to answer before we can take that next important step into consistency. And the first question that needs answering is just what can be done about this defense.

That isn’t an easy question to answer as we are finding out. It’s not as easy as some are suggesting. You can’t just swap out a couple centerbacks and call it a day. That won’t do anything. Not right away anyways.

You could start fiddling with the fullbacks and the midfield if you really want to, and chances are it would breed some positive results. But all in all, this doesn’t come down to personnel all that much. That said, though, if we can put to rest the personnel question, I think we can move towards a more acceptable solution.

So let’s start with the man most in question – Shkodran Mustafi. Most people that are suggesting a personnel change are indicating this man, the German, as the the one that needs to give way. The logic, I guess, is that he has been inconsistent.

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Fair enough. But Mustafi has been fantastic this year and, if you buy into WhoScored.com‘s player ratings, he’s been their best player. Now that might be a stretch, but it’s hard to doubt that he has, in fact, been good. Better than last year, for what that’s worth.

But the question is – just how good is he? Is he good enough to anchor a Premier League winning team?

That’s hard to answer. What can be said is that he has the ability to just that. When he is at his best, he is fantastic. His athleticism and ball control are second to none when it comes to centerbacks and his aerial ability is woefully underrated. The one question that is consistently asked of him is his concentration and his ability to make intelligent decisions.

That is still a developing trait, but so long as he provides the upside that he does, it’s well worth the growing pains. And yes, there will be growing pains. For awhile. He’s young. Get over it.

In conclusion – how good is Mustafi? Good enough. He absolutely is good enough.