Arsenal: Pablo Mari is Mikel Arteta’s kind of centerback

Arsenal have a clear defensive strategy under Mikel Arteta, and Pablo Mari fits perfectly into what the club is hoping to do at the back.

Pablo Mari finally got his Arsenal debut against Portsmouth. It was an eventful couple of days for the Brazilian centerback. Just a few days prior, it was rumored that Arteta had pulled the trigger on locking down Mari to a permanent deal. All before he even touched the pitch.

But seeing him on the pitch, even against “just Portsmouth,” it was clear why Arteta would have been so keen to lock in Mari for the long-term—he looks exactly what Mikel Arteta wants his centerbacks to look like.

Look no further than Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz. Long thought to be done, with one foot out of the club, these two have completely turned around their play and become the centerpieces of a remarkably resurgent defense.

Neither one is the best in defense, but they both play the ball with coolness and composure. Right from the off, it was clear that Pablo Mari did the same. This time, however, with a dominant left foot.

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Mari was an expert with the ball, no matter what angle he was coming at it from. He could be racing forward, tracking back, side to side—didn’t matter. When he got the ball, he was in control and no one could harry him out of possession.

Again, taking this all with an “it’s just Porstmouth” grain of salt, we should all have seen exactly the kind of defender that’s primed to settle into a prominent role in an Arteta-style defense. Given the lapse in competitive levels, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but suffice to say he showed no pitfalls. He looked composed throughout. Even defensively. He closed down opposing attackers. He did his job in every way.

I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself—really, I don’t—but if he can replicate this level of play in the Premier League, I would be more than happy counting on him, William Saliba and the return of Calum Chambers to bolster this defense. Forget about Dayot Upamecano.

But like I said, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. One match at a time. All I know is he looked really good, and until I see anything otherwise, I, therefore, believe that he is really good.