Shkodran Mustafi was something of a surprise choice to accompany Unai Emery at today’s pre-Frankfurt press conference, given the German was told in no uncertain terms by the head coach that his future lay elsewhere.
He has yet to make a Premier League appearance this season, but has played in all four Europa League ties, helping Arsenal to three wins and a draw, leaving us on 10 points at the top of our group.
Mustafi touched on his future in North London, but insisted that was a secondary issue as the players and staff attempt to put a halt to this dreadful run of form.
Asked about the pressure on Emery, the 27 year old said, “If you play for Arsenal, you play for a big club and you have to know you have to give everything to win.
“We play for each other because we are a team, the boys in the dressing room and the coaching staff are all in the same boat.
“If the coach is under pressure, the players are too. We stick together, we fight for each other and everyone is trying to give their best.
“The coach is trying to organise the team and we, as players, try to put on the pitch what we do every day in training.
“We play together, we’re in the same boat and we will try to fight our way out of this.”
Being sidelined most weeks is not something any player enjoys, and the former Valencia man was asked about his own future with the January transfer window a little over a month away from opening.
“I am a player of Arsenal and I’ve got a contract with Arsenal for one and a half more years,” he said.
“I have always said that if there is going to be something where it suits me and if there is going to be something where I want to make a next step then I am open to it and I am open to talk.
“But at the moment I think it’s a situation where we have to put our own interests in the background because we have to focus on the team and we have to focus on winning games.
“So at the moment I’m really not thinking about my own personal future. I am thinking about when I have the opportunity to help the team, I am trying to do that.
“This is not only me, this is everyone in the dressing room. I know there are always a lot of things going on and a lot of people talk and give opinions on what is going on, but I can say that in the dressing room that everyone is fully focused on giving everything to get out of this situation because it makes life easier for us when things are going good.
“So everyone is really looking to play football and win games with Arsenal.”
I can’t decide if our defenders are bad or our defensive tactics are bad, either way, at this point I can’t see how Mustafi is any worse than our other CB choices.
This might just reflect how bad or CB choices are….
Look like he’ll be staying at Arsenal until his contract expires enjoying the wages he’s paid for mostly sitting on the bench… Unless Emery is forced out and Santo, Arteta or Pochettino come in.
When he came to the club, I thought he was quite likely to be a future captain. Obviously that was all wrong, but you can see why someone could have thought so. He made genuine disastrous mistakes on the pitch, far too many, but was also blamed for all sorts of nonsense that supposedly showed his poor attitude (blaming others, refusing to take responsibility). I am happy he has handled an extraordinarily difficult personal situation with dignity and I hope he does well at his next club.
It would be even better if he could somehow do well in the Arsenal shirt, under a new manager. The way we are currently playing as a team we can bring in Van Dyke and and he would’t look too much better than the current crop of defenders we have
I dont know what it is, but he seems humbler now. If benching a player is what it takes to get their head right, we should’ve done it with him and Xhaka much earlier.
Maybe it’s the fact that he’s no longer the ‘main problem’ for all Arsenal issues? Not many people would manage to bear all that criticism and perform well.
My up-vote is the first positive inkling I’ve offered for Mustafi in almost 3 years. Can’t say I want him on the pitch on weekends– but I’m good with him in cups. My animosity will completely subside when he furthers his career elsewhere.
Good for him that he’s managed, that he’s alright.
With him, Luiz, Sokratis and Chambo (after the first Saints goal), I wonder do their light bulbs upstairs not work very well. That’s scary, that’s 4 of our first team defenders.
Come on lads , Concentrate.
I don’t see a future for him here but credit to him for his attitude. Has taken a fair amount of stick (myself included) but has got on with his job and is still trying to at least give his all for the shirt.
Too many fans prefer not to admit the obvious : No Mustafi same problems. I said it some time ago, we failed to address long standing issues last summer. We were wanton almost in attempting to extend on Koscielny. Too many fans preferred to expend their ire on him but frankly he did us a favour by not extending. Unfortunately Sanlehi preferred to go for “wow” factor (and many fans gullible to fall for it) rather than the practical in taking the (as yet flattering to deceive) Pee instead of say a Ziyech or Fekir. Players with less overall cost… Read more »
If I moderated this comment section, I would ban you. #CyganIn
Simply
Mahrez mahrez mahrez
Santori is always upast at who we did or did not buy, surprised you didn’t bring up Mahrez again
‘War and Peace’ has got nothing on you, has it, sunshine? Why take a couple of sentences when you can take a couple of days…..
As far as Mustafi is concern, he has been thus far working hard on rehabilitating his reputation which is a good thing. As we’ve seen with all our cbacks, they all have inherent issues not helped by the manager’s own weaknesses trying to play out of the back with a team very uncomfortable in doing so (which is why Arteta would not be a viable solution either) Mustafi and Luiz both have concentration issues. Holding gets turned very easily. Chambers isn’t entirely watertight positionally. Not as competitive for high balls. Even Sokratis who has been our more consistent player is… Read more »
You see what I mean?
You should consider switching from commenting– to drinking heavily.
If you already drink heavily? Add barbiturates to the mix.
Continue for days on end.
Perhaps then you’ll not remember this web URL.
I have no time to read your lengthy posts.
Why is he talking? Him, xhaka and emery are the past of this club.
Thank you for the downvotes but that’s the harsh truth. We need more decisiveness in this club, for the good of the club.
Also, as a club we are in constant fight, struggle, getting out of bad periods… For the last 10+ years that is our reality. It’s very tiring to be an Arsenal fan but you can’t choose who you love, when you choose once that is it, like with a woman (or a partner).
(Psst… I’ve been cheating with Wolves.
Please don’t tell Edu!)
He is not as bad as some would have you believe and who knows how he will be under any new manager. He has not played in the PL at all this season yet we are playing as bad as I have ever seen at the moment, far worse than of the last years of Arsene.
No mate he is shit. 🙂
I basically agree with you. My respect for Mustafi increased because of how he handles his difficult personal situation in contrary to some other individuals. I believe what he said in his interview with the German newspaper that he presented the hierachy clubs who wanted to buy him in summer, but Arsenal decided that the offers were not good enough. So basically he is stuck here without much perspective, but he handles this situation like a professional. In the games he played, I thought he wasn’t better, but also not really worse than any other player on the pitch and… Read more »
Mustafi is gonna Mustafi. End of. He is the epitome of the mess that this club is in.
Unai trolling Arsenal fans. 🙁
Only during the time of crysis, you can see the real character of a person. Mustafi has went through like what Xhaka went through but handled it well.
And now we have Germany’s answer to Frank Spencer telling us that he and the rest of the team are going to try and be less accident prone…………Oh My Dear God. MAKE. IT. STOP.