Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Arsenal Vs Huddersfield Town: 5 things we learned – Iwobi dispels doubters

By Andrew Dowdeswell

HUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 09: Alex Iwobi of Arsenal scores his team's first goal under pressure from Terence Kongolo of Huddersfield Town during the Premier League match between Huddersfield Town and Arsenal FC at John Smith's Stadium on February 9, 2019 in Huddersfield, United Kingdom. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
HUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 09: Alex Iwobi of Arsenal scores his team's first goal under pressure from Terence Kongolo of Huddersfield Town during the Premier League match between Huddersfield Town and Arsenal FC at John Smith's Stadium on February 9, 2019 in Huddersfield, United Kingdom. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Shkodran Mustafi
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 28: Shkodran Mustafi of Arsenal wears a black armband following a helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium in Leciester the previous day during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on October 28, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

2. Mustafi is a mess

It was a horrific first-half performance from Shkodran Mustafi. Playing on the right side of a back-three, he made mistake after mistake after mistake. His heading was consistently inaccurate, putting his teammates into difficulty, he was overly aggressive in his tackling, giving away several stupid fouls as he careered into the midfield, and his passing was very poor.

That last point is especially concerning for a right-sided centre-half in a back three. Oftentimes, it is the wide centre-backs that have the space to move into and progress the play into more attacking areas. Inevitably, Mustafi was unable to do this. His pass success rate in the first half was just 68% — a defender should be aiming for 90%. The frequency and extent of his poor play repeatedly put Arsenal on the back foot, though it should be stated that he improved in the second half.

Nevertheless, the inconsistencies of his play have only worsened. There was a hope that he would iron out his errors as he settled into Premier League life, but, if anything, the opposite has happened. It is time to get rid.