Arsenal: Shkodran Mustafi can learn from Sokratis’ smart aggression

Sokratis anchored Arsenal’s defence brilliantly in Thursday night’s 0-0 draw with Sporting CP, playing with smart aggression. Shkodran Mustafi could learn a thing or two.

Unai Emery defensive plan is clear: to play with a high-pressing scheme from the front, exerting dominance and control, allied with a defensive line that pushes right up the pitch. For many of the Arsenal players, this is a new tactic, one that they are still adapting to and learning to execute.

Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here

Obviously, adapting to this approach will take time, as has been illustrated with the slow but very clear defensive improvements that the Gunners have made over the season.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

There is an acclimatisation on an individual basis, knowing your own role and responsibility, and then having the decisiveness, anticipation and skill to carry it out, and on a collective basis, recognising the distances between players, the spaces that the defence, midfield and attack should occupy in-sync with one another, not as separate units of the same team. Commenting on the centre-backs specifically, the primary organisers and foundation of any defence, it is imperative that they play with the right blend of aggressiveness and timing.

When defending with a high line, the space is in behind the defence, especially on the counter-attack. It is crucial, then, that central defenders do not drop off their opposite number, allowing them to turn and drive into the open space. Rather, they must be tight in their marking, looking to nick away the ball before counter-attacks can ever be commenced. But if they get too tight, then they face the risk of being rolled by the attacker or forced to track a through ball into the channel behind them. It is a difficult balance to strike.

For Shkodran Mustafi, this process has been a steep learning curve. He is a naturally aggressive defender. He likes to pressurise his opponents’ first touch, forcing them into mistakes and recovering the ball as quickly and as high up the pitch as possible. It is a great strength of his game. But it can also be his biggest downfall.

Mustafi is not cautious with his positioning, his decision-making and his tackling. When he gets it right, it, therefore, looks phenomenal; but when he gets it wrong, he can suddenly find himself five yards out of position with the opposition driving into the exact space that he should be — but isn’t — occupying.

Contrast that to Sokratis. The Greek international, who was signed in the summer as a stop-gap solution to Arsenal’s defensive woes, plays with the same aggressive mindset as Mustafi, but he has curbed it somewhat, measuring his play with greater caution and awareness. He still tries to force turnovers and recover the ball quickly, but he also knows when the opportunity is not there and when he must defend with greater poise. It is a balance that takes years to learn. Even now, some of the most experienced defenders still make the wrong decision at the wrong time.

For Mustafi, this is what he must learn: to harness his aggressiveness and exploit it to a positive end, rather than allowing it to take over his whole game and undermine his defensive positioning. Thankfully, Sokratis is the perfect man for him to learn from. If he does not, however, there are plenty of other options waiting in the wings. It is time for Mustafi to get it right.