On paper Arsenal have a very easy task to beat Burnley at the Emirates tomorrow, considering that our opponents simply cannot get a result away from Turf Moor this season, but we have another good reason to expect a win in the form of Shkodran Mustafi.
Although I believe that Xhaka, Perez and Holding were pretty good buys in the summer, there is no doubt in my mind that Mustafi was was Wenger’s best bit of business this year. The German international immediately struck up a good understanding with Koscielny and our other defenders, and he has the amazing stat of never having lost a game in an Arsenal jersey after 14 League appearances.
But don’t just take my word for it, listen to what Hector Bellerin had to say about him yesterday: “He has been a great addition to the team,” Hector said. “He has adapted really well to the way we play. He likes to come out and look for people up front, and doesn’t kick long ball balls, he looks to play the ball on the floor and that’s really important to the way we play.
“Defensively he has grown since the first day, he is really confident around the other players, he will tell you what to do, he is a World Cup winner as well and a leader. The stats show he is a very positive defender and he is helping us get clean sheets.
“From the first day he was here we got on really well, on and off the pitch. From his time at Valencia, he speaks very good Spanish so that makes it easy – not just with me but other people in the back four.
“I feel very confident when I play with him because I know someone has got my back as well – not just the goalkeeper, you also know Shkodran will be there. I really like playing with him.”
Fulsome praise indeed from another defender that is also considered to be a future superstar in the making. So with Bellerin back from injury and Mustafi alongside him, I propose that have a much better chance than usual to keep a clean sheet and beat Burnley easily.
Agreed?
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