Mustafi’s first match was a close one! Tough player but think his debut was good.
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Mustafi’s first match was a close one! Tough player but think his debut was good.
Follow me on Twitter – @Arsenal_Editor
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That kos-esque interception about half way through. Fuck
I think it will be easier for Mustafi to adapt than Perez. Playing as a lone striker for a new club, new league and new brand of football will be difficult for him. Once he gets going, I think he will be a great signing. Loved his work rate against Southampton, too.
It definitely makes to easier to play when you have a partner like Kos the boss.
looks like he loves defending. but has a pass too. high hopes!!
Koscielny also deserves recognition for the maturity and leadership he showed in the way he adapted to Mustafi’s game, (in addition, obviously, to the tremendous goal). A lot of the time, it looked like Koscielny was playing Mertesacker’s role–allowing his partner to move forward in anticipation of passes, and initiate a counter, while he (Koscielny) moved into a covering position, filled spaces, and picked up runners.
I think in the future they will both do this for each other–I think we saw the makings of a central defensive partnership as good as any in the Premier League.
This. Very much this. Absolutely spot on. With Per-Kos, Per would do the sweeper job but against Southampton Kos adapted to his partner. We really do have the best CB in the league, which is a shame because the same league appreciates players like Terry more. Bunch of idiots.
Anyone else loves how Mustafi dashes forward and jumps 11 feet in the air before he heads the motherfucking ball back. And the likes of Bellerin and Coquelins know to stay the fuck out of his way.
As some should remember, it took Koscielny close to a season to adapt. He made a lot of mistakes was caught out many times, scored several Own Goals and took a number of red cards. But this team Wenger has now is more developed. We can see Mustafi is also quality spent as he is settling in much quicker : 1)His positioning was generally good this considering he is still adapting to pace of league and players around him. 2) His strength in the air is a bit more of an issue but he will learn to get use to… Read more »
Wenger tends to also be very considerate when picking his signings. I have already mentioned the soft (non footballing) side of selection. Secondary considerations like Mustafi being of Albanian heritage and Xhaka should not be taken lightly as it helps the players settle. Similarly language is also an issue. Wenger ‘s current Arsenal is mainly composed of 4 main language nationalities. Of course there is the local core (ironic to think the media makes no more meal about local content with us…look at the rest of the league)but the Francophone core which many press would deem to criticise Arsenal for… Read more »
Great points Santori. I actually keep track of all these connections and groupings you mentioned. Language and culture are massively influential in how quickly and well a player settles, and that can have a knock-on effect in their performances. Sometimes we forget that our players are real human beings and not football playing machines. Majority of us would look to our 50’s as the peak in our careers. Most footballers peak by 30. It really quite young when you take a step back and think about it. Anyways, I am massively excited by Mustafi. Sure this performance was far from… Read more »
Am very curious to watch them all on Tuesday. Come on!
He is in many ways a fusion of Per and Kos. Like Per: his distribution and comfortability on the ball is similar to Per. Per seeks to move the game forward with direct passes to receptive forwards dropping off their markers. Mustafi does this but in a different way, he seeks to use his mobility to drive into open space and draw out an opposition player before releasing it to the then available Arsenal midfielder. Although similar, it is also slightly more dynamic – and more risky. Like Kos: he is mobile and aggressive like Kos is when played alongside… Read more »
Thumbed up for “comfortability”
Where are the people who said he was average
Sorry my post was cut off…”at best” yesterday?
I think he was quite average – Kosc was clearly the standout CB.
However, I think he showed promise. He was obviously nervous.
What I’m worried about is the fact that he plays a very similar game to Koscielny – but not quite as well. He constantly tries to nip in to intercept, sprint out to head it etc. It didn’t always come off.