Mikel Arteta shares what he told Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi after mistake

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Mikel Arteta has suggested, in comments reported by Football London, that he told Shkodran Mustafi how he impressed he was with the courage the Arsenal defender has shown since his recent mistake in the Gunners’ draw at Chelsea.

Mustafi’s Arsenal spell was arguably summed up quite fittingly during the clash at Stamford Bridge last month. The German made a terrible error during the first-half that led to David Luiz getting sent off and the home side scoring a penalty.

But he would go on to produce a much better second-half display. Nevertheless, some fans may have been tempted to ask whether the centre-back may have blown his last chance for the club.

However, Mustafi has started both of Arsenal’s games since the draw. And he has arguably won some admirers with his performances against Bournemouth and Burnley.

And following the stalemate at Turf Moor on Sunday, Arteta shared exactly what he told Mustafi in the wake of the mistake at Chelsea.

“Yeah, I said to him that he could make a mistake but I like his reaction afterward and the courage he had to play and make decisions,” he said, as reported by Football London.

“He’s been training really well and I think you could see today how good he was.”

TBR View – Mustafi has long way to go, but finding consistency would be huge win for Arteta

Some Arsenal fans are probably never going to be convinced that they can rely on Mustafi. It is understandable given that he has struggled for so much of his time in North London.

So it would be a huge win for Arteta if he could oversee a transformation that sees the 27-year-old become considerably more consistent.

There is clearly a long way to go. Mustafi has produced two solid performances after a terrible error. But he does appear to be heading in the right direction.

Even against Chelsea, Mustafi responded brilliantly. He may not have been unable to repair the damage his mistake caused. But he definitely stepped up during the rest of the fixture.

The last couple of games have hinted that he could reestablish himself as an important player for Arsenal.

If he can avoid complacency and moments of madness, Arsenal fans may be treated to the best of Mustafi a lot more often moving forward.