Arsenal: Everything wrong with Sokratis is so simple to solve

Arsenal brought in Sokratis to much debate, and the debate now continues, but his worth is so easy to understand if you just look at it.

Not many people were convinced when Arsenal called on Sokratis to be their defensive solution last year. A washed up, over-30 defender who Borussia Dortmund had put on the back-burner. The Gunners were trying to revive the Greek’s career, and to be fair, Sokratis had had a nice time in the limelight of the Bundesliga.

Within a few weeks, it was clear why he was hear, and it was clear that he was, in fact, a pretty astute addition, especially at the price paid.

Fast forward to Watford, and Sokratis gave the ball away in a truly embarrassing fashion and gifted the Hornets not just a goal, but confidence. Belief. And just like that, the match was lost. Well, drawn, but it felt like a loss.

But I’m still here to tell you that Sokratis is a worthy defender and someone who deserves a spot on this team. The problem isn’t in him, it’s in his defensive mate. And no, this isn’t me ousting David Luiz either.

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This is me saying that you can’t have Luiz and Sokratis in the same back line. The same way you can’t have Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi, or Sokratis and Mustafi. These are pairings that don’t work, because you’re asking Sokratis to be the reliable one. The guy we can count on.

That isn’t in his repertoire. He plays his best when coupled with a responsible defender, not a risk taker. He played his best alongside Laurent Koscielny, and he played well again when coupled with Calum Chambers against Newcastle. Neither Koscielny nor Chambers are risk takers, and it worked out.

Putting Sokratis, a risk taker, with any other risk taker is—say it with me—taking a risk. Because if you can’t count on either of your centerbacks to make a sensible decision, then who can you count on?

Sokratis is a compliment, not a feature. He’s a side dish, not an entree. And if we keep asking him to be something he’s not, we’re going to keep getting bitten in the arse when he doesn’t do what he’s never done. Seems pretty simple, right?

Play him alongside a Mr. Reliable or don’t play him at all. He isn’t a Mr. Reliable and he never will be. Read the writing on the wall, it couldn’t be any more obvious.