Arsenal: Shkodran Mustafi not the man to blame

Shkodran Mustafi committed yet another fatal error in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Tuesday night. However, while he is obviously responsible for the error in and of itself, he is not the man to blame.

It was a horrible mistake. As soon as the bouncing ball cleared the head of hapless Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi and bounded towards the goal, he looked uncomfortable. There was this sense of awkwardness and discomfort throughout the first half-hour of the match. He played several garish balls into midfield that were grossly mistimed and misplaced, ultimately intercepted by Chelsea defenders. But this was his most egregious moment.

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Mustafi attempted to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Bernd Leno, which he was right to do so. But he painfully underhit the pass, drawing Leno out of his penalty area. Tammy Abraham nipped in, stole the ball away, rounded the goalkeeper, and was eventually bundled over by a helpless David Luiz who was scrambling to do anything to prevent the inevitable. Penalty. Red card. 1-0 down.

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Mustafi was responsible for the defining moment of the match. It is not the first time this season or in his Arsenal career that he has committed a blatant, deplorable error that has led directly to a goal, red card, or serious disadvantage for his team. The Gunners may have battled back to snatch a 2-2 draw, with Mustafi himself playing very well for the final hour, defending stoutly, scrapping for every cross, pass and loose ball, fighting to protect both his goal and reputation, but it is impossible not to think what could have been without Mustafi’s madness.

But while the German is obviously to blame for the error in and of itself, he is not the primary man responsible. Others should draw the criticism and ire of fans and pundits alike. It may have been Mustafi’s inability on the pitch that led to the penalty and Luiz sending off, but in reality, he never should have been on the pitch in the first place.

It has been quite clear for some time now that Mustafi is short of the required standard. He simply is not good enough to anchor a defence for a top-six — or aspiring top-six — Premier League side. Fans were aware of his shortcomings after his second year at the club, one that was littered with poor passes and defensive mistakes. But the club took longer to wise up.

It was not until Unai Emery arrived that Mustafi was demoted to third-choice, behind newly signed Sokratis and Laurent Koscielny. But even then, he was still relied upon far too frequently than a player of his ineptness should have been. He made error after error, and yet Arsenal repeatedly failed to offload him and find a replacement.

Because they are horribly stubborn and infamously blind to the actual value of their players, Arsenal believed they should recoup much of the £35 million they paid to sign Mustafi in the first place. But the problem is that Mustafi was never worth £35 million in the first place. They panicked, placed a bid that Valencia would never dare reject, and came away with a mediocre player as a result. That does not make Mustafi a £35 million player.

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And so, because of the club’s arrogance and blindness and their manager’s undeserved faith and lack of ruthlessness, Mustafi still plays for Arsenal. And when Mustafi plays, bad things happen. He may have been the one to make the mistake, but he is not the man to blame for it. That goes a lot further up the tree.

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