Arsenal: The moment I loved Sokratis

Sokratis returned to Arsenal’s line-up in Thursday night’s 3-0 win over FK Qarabag. There was a moment in the 51st minute in which I loved him. Here’s why.

Arsenal have not had a defender with a natural sense for danger in the past decade. Or not a good one, anyway. It was a shortcoming that repeatedly undermined the team, especially when allied with Arsene Wenger’s lack of defensive preparation at other positions, and has been one of the key issues that Unai Emery has attempted to solve this season.

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The player that he and the club sought in the summer to bolster the centre-back position was Borussia Dortmund’s highly inconsistent but extensively experienced and accomplished defender, Sokratis Papastathopoulos. Acquired for £17 million, he would be the new foundation on which the defence is built.

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I was sceptical of the signing. Dortmund were poor defensively last season, and Sokratis was a contributing factor to that, he was turning 30 in the summer and hardly offered a long-term solution, and he had committed plenty of individual errors, very much akin to the kind that Arsenal defenders tend to commit, that led me to doubt his consistency and reliability as a regular starter.

But since his arrival in north London, Sokratis has improved with every match that he has played. His rash, over-eager play has been controlled, his passing and comfort in the shape of the team when is possession has improved greatly, and he put perhaps his best performance of the year together in Thursday night’s 3-0 victory over FK Qarabag, in which he unwittingly scored the opening goal upon his return from a slight knee problem.

There was one moment in particular that made me love the brutish defender. It came in the 52nd minute. Qarabag broke down their right flank, in behind the Arsenal defence. The situation was still comfortable for the Gunners, but a good cross in between the back four and the goalkeeper could have caused them problems.

Sokratis, who was now playing as the right-sided centre-half, on the opposite side as the attack, spun his head a few times to survey the field and see if there were any runners in support of the move. There was. And so, Sokratis sprinted, head down, legs driving, arms pumping, back to the edge of the penalty to track the run, keeping his hand on the attacker so that he was aware of the attacker’s position at all times. Because of Sokratis’ marking, no cross ever came. The opportunity had passed. Qarabag turned back and, eventually, Arsenal were able to press them back to the halfway line.

It may not seem like much, but these moments perfectly illustrate the natural awareness that Sokratis has for defending. He is a proper defender, as they say, and he is always thinking about where the danger might come from, attempting to sniff it out before it ever develops. And this is the moment that I loved him.

I still have reservations about his signing. It is still early days. But his performances have been extremely encouraging thus far, largely because he is a defender who knows how to defend. And that, for Arsenal, is a very rare commodity indeed.