Several seasons ago, whenever Arsenal gets reduced to ten men in a game against a top six rival, the chances are that they will end the game losing woefully, but against Chelsea, they didn’t only draw the game, they were also strong defensively. What is it with this new found spirit in the team? What has Arteta infused into the players that make them fight till the end? Well, Mustafi, who unfortunately caused the panic defending by Luiz due to a misplaced pass, seems to have indirectly answered my question, judging by his apologies to Luiz.
Well, according to the Metro, The much maligned Germany international, Mustafi, took to social media after our game against Chelsea, to praise the resilience Arsenal demonstrated in difficult circumstances, and also took out time to say sorry to Luiz, who will now miss next Monday’s FA Cup fourth round tie at Bournemouth through suspension.
“I am absolutely happy and proud to have such a great team that fought with me all 90 minutes after my mistake that not only caused the first goal, but also sent David Luiz (Sorry, David!) off the pitch” he wrote on Instagram, as reported by the Metro.co.uk. “We never give up, we fight with passion and stand together!” he asserted. Now, this apology shows how much Mustafi values the unity in the team.
Nice one there Mustafi! Owning up to your mistake, means you have gotten over the past and are ready to move forward with playing football and doing well. This apology by Mustafi will surely pacify the minds of Luiz and Leno, who may feel bad about his wrong and short pass that led to the confusion in Arsenal’s defence. This apology will no doubt impress Mustafi, as this will eliminate any tension his mistake may cause. Now, as professional footballers, learning to accept your fault for causing the team some tensed moments will go a long in building that family type of unity in the team.
After the game, I read so many unpleasant things written about the German international on social media by football fans around the globe. As expected, many fans who may or may not be Arsenal fans, called for his immediate sale away from Arsenal. In as much as I won’t hold anybody to ransom over his or her opinions, I would like to call on fans around the world to cool their tempers. Mustafi happens to be the only senior defender we have as emergency backup. With Sokatris still nursing an injury and Luiz serving a suspension, Mustafi is surely going to be involved in the next few games. We need to move away from his mistakes, compliment him for owning up to his errors and encourage him to play better next time, because his apologies will only strengthen the team and unite them as they fight to make Arsenal great again. Can we do this?
We are Arsenal and we are proud.
Sylvester Kwentua