In the wake of Arsenal's "spineless", "pathetic" (call it what you will) performance in last Sunday's League Cup final, it was Manchester City's opening goal that demonstrated what many feel is the chief weakness in the team Arsene Wenger has assembled.
An unlikely punt up the field from City's goalkeeper Claudio Bravo initially looked to demonstrate why Pep Guardiola's side don't opt for this kind of build-up play all that often; what chance does the diminutive Sergio Aguero have of winning a header against the World Cup-winning Arsenal centre-half, Shkodran Mustafi?
Well, quite a good one as it turns out. Provided the Argentine simply stands his ground against the back-pedaling German.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR9HYvjJjPc
A kind of goal that Arsene Wenger and Arsenal would scarcely have imagined themselves conceding in the build up to this game, it was Mustafi's reaction that perhaps irked many watching the final. Where most analyses of Arsenal's weaknesses centres on a lack of character, strength and determination, the image of a centre-half being so clinically played by the City forward cloyed.
Yet, ahead of their Premier League tie against the same opposition tonight, the German has had his say on the numerous detractors that he and his teammates continue to attract.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Mustafi believes Arsenal "don't need people from outside telling us what we are doing wrong and what we are doing right."
Mustafi, who worked briefly with chief-agitator Gary Neville at Valencia, did reveal however that he "still doesn't know what he has been talking about"; Mustafi hasn't taken the time to listen.
Although it is to be expected that in the wake of such a defeat, members of the team in question will try to retain a sense of togetherness, Mustafi's blatant disregard for these malicious 'outsiders' is curiously 'Wengerian' in tone.
Shirking all responsibility, days after the incident itself, Mustafi retains the belief that he was fouled by Aguero, and only a reluctance to employ VAR allowed the goal to stand:
In the Carabao Cup, you have the Video Assistant Referee as well. It seems that it is not helping that much or maybe we are just complaining too much.
In my opinion, there were a few situations where it could have been a different decision from the referee.
Obviously we are looking to improve but it is important that referees look at themselves and try to improve.
Having joined Arsenal in 2016, it has not taken Mustafi long to come to terms with how his manager chooses to deal with these pesky outsiders; batten down the hatches, and blame the referee.
