Arsenal: That’s one way to learn to appreciate Shkodran Mustafi

Arsenal’s defense against Southampton was terrible in general, but particularly bad in the air. Maybe Shkodran Mustafi was missed more than we thought.

Not a lot of Arsenal fans rate Shkodran Mustafi very highly, and I still find this to be a crying shame. He’s a bit inconsistent, but of all of our defenders, he is by far the most athletic, the most intense, and the best in the air.

Which is interesting, because against Southampton, the Gunners’ defense did not exude any intensity in closing down the man with the ball, and they were beaten on three separate occasions by well-placed crosses that lead to headed goals.

Perhaps you see what I’m hinting at, or perhaps you just read the title of this piece – Shkodran Mustafi would have been a difference maker in this match.

The Gunners haven’t given up three goals since Chelsea way early on in the season, and while the defense has been shaky at times, they’ve never been this bad. They were all over the place and while Southampton did deliver three seemingly perfect balls, there is a reason they were able to be so perfect.

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It’s because the cross was made before the man with the ball could be properly closed down (lacking intensity) and the men who ended up heading the ball home (Ings and Austin), were largely unchallenged, or just won the aerial duel.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Arsenal failed in these two key areas in the one game that Mustafi doesn’t start.

Mustafi leads the Gunners in aerials won with 3.8. The next closes are Holding and Xhaka at 2.0. Mutafi also leads the team in winning the ball back, which doesn’t happen if you don’t close down the guy with the ball.

Now maybe this is all happenstance, but I highly doubt that. With Koscielny’s rust and the lack of any other centerbacks, the Gunners were exploited in the most sensible way possible – through the air.

I know that there isn’t usually a lot of praise circulating for Mustafi, so I wanted to pop in here and remind everyone that where we failed most against Southampton were in the two areas that Mustafi succeeds most often.

Thankfully, he is back now that his suspension is passed and I’d be surprised to see the Gunners to easily ripped asunder in the air again any time soon. Mustafi plays with too much tenacity to see that happen.