Arsenal: Can Pablo Mari push for starting role?

Pablo Mari produced a calm, reassuring, encouraging display on his Arsenal debut on Monday night. Can the Spanish centre-back now push for a starting role?

When Arsenal signed a centre-back who predominantly heralded from Brazilian football and the second tier of Spanish football on a six-month loan in January, it was very difficult to determine what could be expected of him.

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Flamengo fans were distraught when it was announced that Pablo Mari would leave the club after their Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Serie A triumphs last season. But even strong performances in Brazilian football and the Club World Cup are not convincing enough evidence to strongly suggest that any player will then succeed in the Premier League. There is a gulf in class that is difficult to predict the impact of.

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In Monday night’s 2-0 victory over Portsmouth in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Mari made his Arsenal debut. Slotting into the left-sided centre-back role alongside David Luiz, the Spaniard produced a consummate, comforting, convincing first display for the Gunners. He was excellent in possession, productive with the ball at his feet when stepping into midfield, controlled and aware defensively, and more than happy to play a high line in head coach Mikel Arteta’s high-pressing system.

Obviously, substantial caveats must be made when drawing meaningful conclusions from the performance. It is one game. That is an extremely small sample size in which any new signing can look impressive. It was also against League One opposition who rotated their line-up amid a promotion push. But his initial performance does lend credence to the possibility that he can begin to push for a starting role in more meaningful matches.

Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi are Arsenal’s present starting pair at centre-half. Calum Chambers is out for the season, Dinos Mavropanos is on loan at Nuremberg, Rob Holding cannot get fit, while Sokratis lacks the distribution necessary to play under Arteta at centre-back. Mari is already the third-choice option at the position, and neither Mustafi nor Luis are hardly the most certain of starting options.

It is, of course, a little hasty to suggest that Mari is already worthy of a regular starting role. Mustafi has been revitalised of late, while Luiz is the best distributor of the lot and is a crucial character in the dressing room. Even with Arsenal’s recent defensive issues, as highlighted against Olympiakos and Everton, especially from set-pieces, neither has played poorly enough to deserve dropping from the first team.

But that Mari is now ready in waiting means that the margin of error is small. Just as how the young players have proven themselves to be capable starting options to put pressure on the veterans who were the assumed starters, Mari’s presence now demands a consistently high standard from Mustafi and Luiz.

Mari is probably not there yet. But he did enough on Monday night to prove that he might be in the near future. And for Arteta, having competition is only a good thing.