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Arsenal fluffed an opportunity to displace Tottenham Hotspur from the third spot on the Premier League table following a 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Spurs' defeat to Manchester City on Saturday was to Arsenal's advantage, who could have opened a two-point lead over their North London rivals with 69 points in 34 games. That was not to be as a dismal performance by Arsenal's defenders, especially central defender Shkodran Mustafi, handed Palace the three points.
The German was at fault for two of Palace's three goals on Sunday, nullifying all the good work of the Arsenal attackers Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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Although Arsenal boss Unai Emery refused to blame Mustafi for the loss, soon after the match, Arsenal fans expectedly called for the ouster of Mustafi, pointing out that the 27-year-old's display has been poor throughout the season.
One could argue that Arsenal can afford a better defender in place of Mustafi, whose £90,000 per week has come into question following the defeat.
Here are 3 reasons why we think Arsenal should get rid of Mustafi the liability in the upcoming Summer Transfer Window.
#3 Mustafi Doesn't Suit Emery's Style of Play at Arsenal
Emery adopts a system where all the players build play patiently from the back when not counter-attacking and move as a unit towards the opposition box.
In this system, Emery expects even the goalkeeper to contribute, which is why he roped in Bernd Leno and prefers him to the ageing Petr Cech.
While Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis Papastathopoulos have taken to the role quite well, Mustafi still seems to be struggling to come in terms with the expectations of the coach.
A central defender's contribution to the attack under Emery involves venturing forward for set-pieces and winning aerial duels. One of Mustafi's biggest strengths is his supremacy in the air but the German has returned just three goals (two in the Premier League) in 34 appearances this season. Even against Palace, Mustafi had an easy opportunity at the far post in the 27th minute when Arsenal were 1-0 down but he headed it over the bar.
Mustafi has looked nervous throughout the season whenever the defensive midfielder plays the ball back to him. That apart, he isn't really confident while spreading the play from the defensive third to the midfielders.
Once or twice is understandable, but the pattern is clear. Arsenal banked on Mustafi to deliver when Koscielny was injured in the first half of the season and when the stakes are high, like now, Mustafi has flattered to deceive.
This quite isn't the case with the other players, which is why Arsenal should seriously consider their options next season.
#2 Defensive basics failing Mustafi
Whether it's positioning or shielding, Mustafi is failing in the basics of defending for Arsenal. Leading up to Palace's first goal in the 17th minute, Carl Jenkinson failed to play Christian Benteke offside, but it was Mustafi who let the Belgian have a free run near the goal mouth. The result? Benteke scored his first goal in about 20 Premier League games.
In the second half, the advantage was with Arsenal when Mesut Ozil struck the equaliser. The Gunners were riding the momentum and looked to snatch the lead from Palace but it was undone by Mustafi.
Mustafi presumed that Bernd Leno would charge out and collect the flick-on by Benteke that was played for Wilfried Zaha. He looked at his goalkeeper and forgot for a moment that he was shielding the ball from Zaha. Just a second later, Zaha shrugged off Mustafi and slotted the ball past Leno for Palace's second in the 61st minute.
It wasn't just this game alone. This is a pattern that's on display every time Mustafi is defending for Arsenal. Mustafi is constantly losing focus during key moments for Arsenal and that's costing them dear.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, a TV Pundit now, held Mustafi responsible even for the third goal scored by James McArthur for Palace, claiming Mustafi got attracted to the ball instead of tracking the man.
After the Palace defeat, Emery defended his defender by saying Mustafi has been consistent throughout the season. Consistenly bad? Yes.
Moreover, Mustafi isn't one of the fastest players who can track back whenever a pacey forward is wreaking havoc at the Arsenal half. He also dives into those pointless sliding challenges, giving away needless free-kicks in dangerous areas.
Tackling, aerial duels and shielding are his biggest strengths but even those are letting him down, which is another reason why Arsenal should consider selling him with over two years left in his contract.
#1 Arsenal can cash in on Mustafi
“We can speak about players individually, but sometimes they can play very well, sometimes cannot play well,” Emery said about Mustafi after the Palace defeat.
Players can have their bad moments but it's a worry when 'sometimes', which is supposed to be a rare commodity, becomes the norm.
Arsenal can improve their transfer budget and redirect the £90,000-per-week spent on Mustafi on a better defender. Mustafi signed a contract extension that will keep him at the North London club until the end of the 2020-21 season but it isn't like Arsenal to be so patient with someone.
Mustafi is just 27 years old and yet to reach his prime. He may have struggled to perform under Emery's system at Arsenal this season but he's a perfect fit for any of the midtable clubs or back home in Germany, where the stakes are lower.
Players like Lucas Perez and fellow defenders Mathieu Debuchy and Gabriel Paulista didn't fit into the Emery system and were sold at the first opportunity. Gabriel is enjoying the form of his life in Mustafi's former club Valencia and may be that's the kind of club Mustafi will revel in.
Arsenal will have Sokratis back for the next game against Wolves and Rob Holding back from injury soon, but it's time they promote Konstantinos Mavropanos and give Mustafi the hint that he needs to pick up or pack up.
Mustafi's value is around €30 million but he could go for anything for more than €20 million and even that will be a bonus for Arsenal. His transfer will pave the way for a better defender, someone who is young and an all-round player.
