Arsenal Vs Rennes: Do you trust Shkodran Mustafi?

Sokratis will miss Arsenal’s second-leg Europa League match against Rennes on Thursday night. Do you trust his likely replacement, Shkodran Mustafi?

It was initially believed that Arsenal would have to overturn a 3-1 deficit in the second leg of their Europa League tie against French side Rennes without star striker Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman was sent off in the first leg versus BATE Borisov and was in the process of undertaking a three-match ban.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Rubbish Rennes, Article of the Week

However, this week it was announced that his ban had been reduced, upon appeal, to two matches and that he would be available for selection. Unai Emery, I am sure, was dancing on the ceiling.

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Nevertheless, there is still a major piece of the Arsenal puzzle that will be missing through suspension on Thursday. Sokratis saw red in the first leg against Rennes after two rather blatant yellow-card offences — incidentally, it was his sending off that spurred the three-goal capitulation. He will miss the second leg entirely. Unlike Lacazette’s anticipated absence, however, in which Emery would likely have shifted system to incorporate just one centre-forward to replace him, given his position, Sokratis requires a more like-for-like alternative.

And going on recent team selections and player availability throughout the squad, it is likely that that alternative will be Shkodran Mustafi, who slotted into Sokratis’ centre-back position alongside Laurent Koscielny after the Greek’s sending off last week. Mustafi had been playing right-back, where he was used in the North London Derby days before, but Emery had to make do and mend with the hand he was cruelly dealt.

Should Mustafi replace Sokratis on Thursday once more, his performances beg the question of Emery and the fans: Do you trust him to replicate the consistency, the organisation qualities, and the defensive soundness of Sokratis?

Mustafi does have the ability to, in a one-off match, perform as Sokratis has for much of the season. He is quick, athletic, aggressive in his tackling, passionate, sometimes too much so, and intelligent. But it is not a lacking skill set that has made him such a liability at the heart of the Arsenal defence. Inconsistencies due to dips in concentration, a lack of sense of danger and some maddening decision-making have led to his and the team’s defensive demise.

Against Rennes, Mustafi will be challenged, whether it be in a back three or a back four. The Gunners will be forced to chase the game to overturn the two-goal aggregate deficit. Rennes are a team perfectly designed to play on the counter-attack. Attempting to contain Ismaila Sarr and Hatem ben Arfa is no easy task, especially when they have green grass to drive into.

Oddly, Mustafi can perform at the required level for Arsenal to depend on him. And yet, I have that horrible feeling that one mistake will let him down once again. The question of trust, consequently, is a difficult one to answer positively.