The saga of Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi

It goes without saying, I am not a fan of Shkodran Mustafi’s footballing abilities. During the Chelsea match on Tuesday I was calling for him to be sold at halftime. Okay, this was a knee-jerk reaction, however, as a supporter of Arsenal Football Club, it is difficult for me to stand by and watch a player make mistake after mistake, game after game. How many more games must we sit through with Mustafi in central defense?

Now, I’m sure he is a terrific human being and a wonderful teammate, but he has lapses of concentration in every game which usually leads to something going bad for the Gunners. His mistake in the Chelsea game is a perfect example. His horrible pass back to Bernd Leno forced David Luiz into “another” big mistake which lead to a straight red card for Luiz and a penalty shot goal for Chelsea.

However, let’s give credit where credit is due. Mustafi went on social media and made this statement, “I am absolutely happy and proud to have such a great team tonight fight with me all 90 minutes after my mistake that not only caused the first goal, but also sent David (sorry David) off the pitch. We never gave up, we fight with passion and stand together. Thanks #Gunners.”

You have to respect his apology and his willingness to stand-up and take responsibility. This speaks volumes about the guy’s character, it really does.

Many have written and said how Mustafi collected himself nicely after his mistake and played hard during the remainder of the game, helping Arsenal to a 2-2 draw. I would agree, but the damage was already done. We had given up a needless goal, and lost a player for the remainder of the game in the process. I am a forgiving guy, and I totally believe in 2nd chances. We are all human and we make mistakes, however, how many second chances does he get?

Some will argue he is our only cover at his position now that Luiz has been suspended, Soktatis has some sort of illness, and Chambers is out for the season. Unfortunately, this is true, but if I were Mikel Arteta on Monday, I would start Rob Holding and Granit Xhaka at center backs. Mustafi would be my cover on the bench if Sokratis is still out.

As for the transfer window, I hope someone in the front office will soon come to their senses and bring in some defensive help. Gooners from every corner of the globe have been crying out for months about our defensive woes. If Arsenal has any intent of making a run for anything this season, bringing in some good defenders in January is a must.

Cheers. Gunner1953