Arsenal: There’s definitely an uglier side to Sokratis

Arsenal needed strength against Brighton, and Sokratis was anything but, and he complained every step of the way. I don’t like this side of him.

You could tell from the starting XI that the priority of Unai Emery hasn’t changed. He is investing hope in Arsenal‘s ability to win the Europa League over their ability to finish in the top four. That’s why Shkodran Mustafi was in the starting XI next to Sokratis instead of Laurent Koscielny.

But Mustafi wasn’t the problem. He was actually quite good in his own regard, passing very well and defending resolutely.

It was Sokratis who really got on my nerves this match, and it reminded me a lot of the match against Rennes when he got the double yellow when we needed him most.

I’m not sure how well Sokratis mentally handles the pressure of matches where he’s truly needed. Something about the way he goes about these matches makes it look like he’s trying to play the victim throughout the match.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Maybe he’s trying to get under the opposition’s skin, I don’t know. But I do know that against Brighton, Sokratis got under my skin. First, he was caught flopping, and earned a yellow card that gave him the single most of any Arsenal player ever in a single season.

What an honor that is.

But throughout the course of the match, any time he was beaten, he would just gripe and moan and complain. And it even got to a point where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had to step in to tell Sokratis to chill out.

This is a guy that, at his best, brings steel and strength to that back line. It’s crazy to think that this same guy can look so flimsy and whiny in a match where we actually just needed that usual steel and strength.

Like I said, I have been so pleasantly surprised by Sokratis the majority of the time this year, but he has matches like this, and like Rennes, where he just looks mentally weak, determined to engage in a duel of wits rather than a duel of bodies, and it always makes him look far worse than he actually is.

It’s his mentality in situations like this. When he feels like he has to plead his case for every single time he gets caught. Just do your job and defend your goal. That’s what you’re there for.