Arsenal: Yes, Shkodran Mustafi isn’t good enough

Shkodran Mustafi has not ironed out the simple mistakes he was making early in his time at Arsenal. Three years later, it is safe to say he isn’t good enough.

If you have not seen it, you really are missing out. There is a thread on Twitter of some highlights of Shkodran Mustafi’s defending during his time at Arsenal. When I say highlights, what I really mean is exceptional individual errors. The extent and number of them is sensational. You can see them here.

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During his first season in north London, the normal comment on Mustafi went something like this: a talented defender with the traits that you would want in a centre-half, but needs to iron out individual mistakes, lapses in concentration and positional errors.

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For a player in his first season at a club, that is not necessarily terrible. The same was said about Laurent Koscielny or Nemanja Vidic or Vincent Kompany. The key for a player like this, however, is that they then learn from the mental mistakes that they are making and allow their physical and technical skills shine. As Koscielny as eased his aggression and focused his mind, his defensive play has improved, with his athleticism becoming even more effective.

Mustafi is now nearly three years into his stay at the Emirates. The fact that he is still making the same kind of mistakes with the same frequency as when he first arrived suggests that he is simply not good enough. It is not a case that he does not want to learn, it is that he does have the ability to.

I was fascinated to see how Mustafi would fare under new management. Arsene Wenger was infamously neglectful of his defence and offered little systematic or personnel-based protection of his backline. It was very easy to look like a bad defender under Wenger.

So when Unai Emery arrived, there was a question to be asked of Mustafi’s capabilities: Is this a player who is just not very good or was he made to look worse in a system and team that did not help the centre-halves? As he has proven this season, it is the former. The same mistakes he was making under Wenger are still present now with Emery at the helm.

What becomes of Mustafi and his Arsenal future remains to be seen. Sokratis has displayed his defensive acumen. Koscielny is looking much sharper after his return from injury. Rob Holding, Dinos Mavropanos and Calum Chambers, upon his return from a loan year at Fulham, provide young, improving and sufficient depth. With an anticipated signing to bolster the starting pair, there is not really any need for Mustafi.

I expect the German to be sold this summer. Sadly, he is quite simply not a very good player. How Arsenal spent £35 million on him, I will never, ever know.