Arsenal : Shkodran Mustafi is too good to fail
As Mohamed Elneny joins Besiktas on a year-long loan, Arsenal fans wonder which club will save them from another season of Shkodran Mustafi? Roma looked a possibility but they’ve signed Chris Smalling on loan. Someone must fancy Mustafi, a player who Gary Neville said had “an incredible amount of natural ability and talent”.
He must have some. You don’t get to play fo the mighty Arsenal without a large degree of self-belief, commitment, confidence and talent. He played for Germany at the 2014 World Cup – which they won – making him one of the best. Arsene Wenger, one of the world’s most respected coaches, liked him a lot. It’s mad to think everyone was wrong about Mustafi. Even Joan Collins can’t fake it for that long. Most Arsenal fans praying for him to leave must realise one thing: he’s a lot better than they are. He is, after all, living their dream.
So why is he now sixth in line for two or three positions? Because he often drifts out of position. When the opposing strikers break, the rest of Arsenal’s defence has to scramble to plug the hole. His passing is slow – far too slow for Arsenal’s style. He tends to overhit or under-hit what should be routine passes. And there’s something more, something beyond his control: Mustafi is a disappointment. Fans want more from a player who cost £35m – the fee Arsenal paid Valencia for him. He never set the fee. He just played well enough to make Arsenal believe he was worth it. He wasn’t. So he represents an error of judgement. He is ambulatory failure. No-one likes to be reminded of their mistakes. So he must go. Any takers?
Posted: 30th, August 2019 | In: Arsenal, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
