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da supremo： Not many Arsenal fans will go to matches expecting centre-back Shkodran Mustafi to be the best player on the pitch, but that is exactly what happened against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Monday – according to WhoScored stats anyway as he posted a rating of 8.02.
The 26-year-old has been almost constantly criticised – sometimes justly and sometimes not – throughout his spell with the north London outfit, with costly mistakes and questionable defending being combined with more mature performances like the latest one against the Magpies.
The main brunt of vitriol against the Germany international has come from supporters on Twitter following previous displays, and it was the same again against Rafa Benitez’s men.
Despite those comments, there is no mistaking the fact that he was the top-rated player on the pitch as per WhoScored.
He made more interceptions and clearances than any of his teammates, while he also showed that he can be useful as a full-back on occasions following a couple of impressive runs down the flank, although the less said about his final delivery one particular time the better.
So do Arsenal fans have a point?
The problem is that when you hear a player being turned on by the masses time and time again, you will pick up and subsequently magnify every poor thing they do, and it is no different with Mustafi.
That said the 26-year-old visibly isn’t without his shortcomings, and his decision-making and positioning on and off the ball are two things he seriously needs to improve in the future if he wants to progress and continue being a starter for Arsenal under Unai Emery.