This summer has been a refreshing one for Arsenal fans. The club has signed five new players already this summer, with an emphasis on their defensive options. However, a lot of fans have been questioning new signing, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, claiming that he’s not good enough and many have been expecting Mustafi to improve under Unai Emery.
The only position I’m a bit worried going into the new season is the centre back. Feel we have room for improvement. Having said that I really hope the likes of Mustafi improve as a result of having a defensive shield in front of them + better organisation overall.
— LTArsenal (@ltarsenal) 16 July 2018
The upcoming season is going to be a strange one for a lot of Arsenal fans. For many, it’s the first season in their lifetime where Arsene Wenger won’t be in the dugout and whilst a lot of fans had been calling for the Frenchman to leave for a long time, they’re now entering uncharted waters with Unai Emery at the helm. So far, the Spaniard has won over a lot of fans with his changes but the real test will be when the football starts again properly in August.
The defensive issues have been a serious concern for Emery and he’s brought in a goalkeeper, a right-back, a centre-back and a defensive midfielder to sort their problems out. However, some fans are still worried about the centre of the club’s defence. Sokratis looks soft and Mustafi has more than a few mistakes in him, other than that, Laurent Koscielny is out injured and the club then only have three young inexperienced centre-backs left to choose from.
You can read the Arsenal fans’ verdict on Sokratis, Mustafi and their defence here:
This is a big year for Calum Chambers. I want him to nail down a spot in the starting eleven this season, even if it is at the expense of Sokratis or Mustafi.
— Pain In The Arsenal (@PainInThArsenal) July 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/COYG98/status/1018953395800104960
I still think Mustafi is better than Sokratis
— Daniel (@pesqueira17) 16 July 2018
Sokratis not good enough too.
— Akins (@akin_akinrin) July 16, 2018
Yes Mustafi was bad last season but I truly believe everyone will improve under Unai..I really believe we are going to be surprised by many performances this season..#COYG
— Unai Emery’s No1 Fan (@DlaminiEn1) 16 July 2018
https://twitter.com/aliehsan1/status/1018945446163697664
Then it's the club fault. They just spent €19m in an average old CB. If Sokratis isn't solving the problem then we're screwed for the season cause they ain't buying another CB. I think a winger is a must right now.
— Camilo (@CamiloE14) July 16, 2018
Just from a few tweets you can see that the fans are far from convinced by their defensive options.
