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What's the story?
Shkodran Mustafi feels he was harshly criticised by the Arsenal fans after having come under heavy scrutiny in the past couple of seasons due to his lacklustre displays.
The German World Cup winner was heavily linked with leaving Arsenal during the summer transfer window, but failed to find a club.
In case you didn't know...
Mustafi joined Arsenal from Valencia in 2016 and has thus far made over 100 appearances for the Gunners. However, the German has often come in for heavy criticism after several of his high profile mistakes cost the Premier League outfit many points and games.
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The arrival of David Luiz in the summer has seen Mustafi being relegated to the bench even though manager Unai Emery stated that he would be an important member of the squad.
Mustafi, who is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League this season, has however, appeared in the Europa League and the League Cup.
The heart of the matter
The centre-back, who was last capped by Germany in 2017, was speaking to German publication Der Spiegel during the international break. He said, via Sky Sports,
"In the first two years after my move to Arsenal in 2016, things went very well for me. I saw myself as a performer.
"But shortly after Christmas 2018 there was a kink. I've made a few mistakes and they've created a mess that I've never experienced before.
"I had missed three weeks injured and then went into the [Liverpool] game without training with the team because the coach needed me. At half-time it was 4-1, I looked bad a few times and have injured myself again.
"Afterwards, I got a lot of negative comments from Arsenal fans on Instagram and Twitter, and articles were written in which I was harshly criticised. I'm self-critical enough to realise that I made those mistakes. I can also deal with tough criticism."
What's next
Mustafi will be hoping to make his first Premier League appearance of the season when the Gunners face Sheffield United after the international break on 21st October.
