Arsenal’s defense was bolstered by Shkodran Mustafi and after just one match, it’s safe to say he is the absolute real deal.
I have already covered this in small parts today, but I wanted to finally speak at length about how positive a display Arsenal saw from their new man, Shkodran Mustafi. The German put in his first 90 minutes in North London, the first of (hopefully) thousands to come, and it’s safe to say we should be delighted.
For starters, it was not an easy task, what Mustafi had to do. Rob Holding had started to win us over with his solid play and Mustafi had to come in and justify that price tag. Plus, with Arsenal already at a nervy state, any sort of resemblance to what happened against Liverpool would be most unwelcome.
After that first misplaced pass, Mustafi dug in and looked masterful. I keep mentioning his movement with Koscielny, but that’s because it was near perfect. The back line in general kept superb shape all match and, aside from a couple of exceptions, completely shut down the Saints’ attack.
Mustafi was a huge part of that. It’s pretty clear that his partnership with Koscielny is going to have a twist that his German predecessor, Per Mertesacker, did not have with the Frenchman. Mustafi has the same athletic ability as Koscielny, to push forward and attack aggressively.
Mertesacker may have tried that from time to time, but in general his purpose was obvious – sit back and absorb pressure.
While that looks to be Mustafi’s primary order of business, he isn’t so dampened by pace that he can’t spring forward, pick off a pass, and push the attack on his own. We even saw him do something similar already.
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The German finished with three tackles, one interception and four clearances while completing 88% of his passes and two long balls. Speaking from a number’s perspective alone, that is very impressive. Mustafi showed composure, intelligence and defensive wherewithal that we just haven’t seen out of Chambers yet.
Essentially, Wenger paid for exactly what Arsenal needed. I don’t think I need to tell you how wonderful that feels, as it doesn’t happen very often.
At the end of the match, Mustafi came out and voiced his appreciation for the support he received, but if we can judge anything on first impressions, I think it is safe to say that he will be kindly received for the duration of his career. We already knew he was talented, it was just a matter of converting it to playing in England, which he has already shown he can do.
Bring on this partnership with Koscielny. How many unbeaten home matches in a row can the latch together?
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