Arsenal Vs Spurs: Shkodran Mustafi, how many times?

Shkodran Mustafi made another idiotic, overly-eager mistake in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Spurs on Saturday. How many times must this happen until he learns?

Sometimes, I feel like I am saying the same things over and over again. Both on a collective standpoint and for individual players. And that might be more true for Shkodran Mustafi than for any other player that I have ever had the displeasure of writing about.

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A talented defender with a terrific skill set. Strong in the air, despite his lack of height, aggressive and powerful in his tackling, quick across the ground, more than willing for a fight. He should be a very good defender. The problem, though, is that he isn’t. He does not produce as a player of his ability should.

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The reason for this is between his ears. A lack of concentration, some very curious decisions, a propensity to lose the attacker he is marking as he is drawn the ball. Athletically and technically, Mustafi is almost the perfect defender. But mentally, he is completely and utterly lacking, and it repeatedly undermines his efficacy. On Saturday, it came to roost once again.

What he was thinking when he charged through the back of Harry Kane and bundled the Spurs striker over, a Spurs striker who had no chance of reaching the floated freekick to the back post, and, if he had been able to, would have then had to steer a 12-yard header past Bernd Leno while generating all the pace on the ball, I will never, ever know. It is a decision of unfathomable stupidity.

Yes, Kane was offside from the cross and the linesman should have flagged. But Mustafi did not know that. He made the decision believing that Kane was onside, an utter damnation of his sheer stupidity. These kind of mistakes, usually, are quite rare for top-class centre-halves. But, sadly, when it comes to Mustafi, these instances are the commonality. In fact, I am surprised when he doesn’t make the mistake, not when he does.

And that, really, is the crux of the Mustafi problem. Every defender makes mistakes. Even the greatest defenders in the world make mistakes. What makes the top-tier defenders from the average ones, however, is the frequency of those mistakes. Sol Campbell made mistakes, but he learned from them, recognised his error, and improved because of it, thus making fewer in the future.

Mustafi ostensibly has the inability to learn. Either he does not understand that he has made a mistake, which is horrifically worrying in and of itself, or he does understand that he has made a mistake and then does not have the wherewithal to change his play as a consequence, which is utterly criminal in professional sport.

The question that sums up Mustafi is ‘How many times?’ How many times will he make such a brainless error? How many times does it take for him to learn? How many times will Arsenal drop points because of his stupidity? The answer might not have an end.