Arsenal: 5 key players in FA Cup matchup vs Portsmouth

3. Pablo Mari

In the midst of a defensive crisis, Mikel Arteta brought in Pablo Mari and then promptly turned around and made Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz a world-beating defensive duo. No big deal. But it also put Mari on the back foot a bit, as opportunities weren’t as clear and present.

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Seeing him left out in Greece was further affirmation that Mari would find opportunities hard to come by, but going up against Porstmouth is a nice, secure fixture to see a bit more of what he’s capable of.

That being the case, he will have a lot to live up to with the defense of this club. Arteta clearly has a supreme defensive philosophy, so we will be able to tell a lot about Pablo Mari by the way he handles himself in that set-up, alongside someone else who is desperately in need of a revamp (who also happens to be at No. 2).

If Mari handles his responsibilities well, there’s no reason we should be able to keep a clean sheet and thus bolster the prospects of Mari moving forward at the club.

Next up, No. 2.