61 passes, 7 duels won: Pablo Mari shines in Arsenal draw

Add as preferred source on Google

Pablo Mari is one of the Arsenal players who looks set for a tough battle if he hopes to be a first-team regular under Mikel Arteta next season.

The Gunners boast a good group of defenders. And with the likes of William Saliba and Konstantinos Mavropanos set to return from loan spells in the summer, Arteta will have to think about letting a couple of his centre-backs go.

Admittedly, Mari is surely going to stay next season. But he still has a point to prove if he hopes to become one of the first names on the team sheet.

Picking the right centre-backs for Saturday’s trip to Burnley looked set to be crucial to Arsenal’s fortunes at Turf Moor. And, while they only took away a point, it seems fair to say that Arteta made the right call picking Mari alongside David Luiz at the heart of the backline.

As shown by Whoscored.com, Mari made 61 successful passes. Funnily enough, it was only Granit Xhaka who managed more.

Meanwhile, his tally of two successful tackles was not bettered by any of his teammates. He also made four clearances.

But it is the number of aerial duels he won that is particularly impressive – given the opposition.

Mari won seven duels during the contest. James Tarkowski was the only player to win more. Chris Wood meanwhile, managed just three out of 11.

The 27-year-old – who earns around £85,000-a-week, according to Spotrac – has looked comfortable whenever he has stepped into the Arsenal side – no matter what kind of challenge the defence are set to face.

And while the overall sense was ultimately one of frustration, Mari emerged from Saturday’s draw as a real shining light for the Gunners.