How Mustafi, Ozil, futile midfield duo failed Arsenal against City
It was deja vu for Arsenal on Sunday, as its 2-2 draw at the Emirates against Manchester City was a familiar cocktail of one part momentary flashes of fight and four parts of drab defending.
Related: 3 takeaways from erratic draw between Arsenal, Manchester City
For all of the pluck and pugnacity from the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Nacho Monreal, Arsenal was let down by the characteristic failings of a quartet of players whose efforts were not consistent with a club that should be striving for silverware.
Here's a look at four Gunners who under-performed and visual evidence of the consequences of their failings:
Shkodran Mustafi
With the positional awareness of a plastic bag blowing aimlessly through the wind, centre-back Shkodran Mustafi has displayed a penchant for getting caught out of position in his maiden campaign with Arsenal.
It's a rare occasion to witness a player assist on an opening goal before bagging the equaliser while simultaneously being such a liability.
Look no further than where he was on Leroy Sane's fifth-minute opener:
For some reason, Mustafi carries the ball out of his half only to lose possession before Kevin De Bruyne fires a long ball that completely bypasses Arsenal's midfield.
De Bruyne's pass finds a streaking Sane, who gets on the right side of Hector Bellerin before dragging it beyond a lunging David Ospina and potting it in the Arsenal net. For reference, Mustafi is 30 yards behind the play petitioning the linesman for an offside call.
On Jan. 22, Arsenal had topped Burnley 2-1 courtesy of a debut goal and a Man of the Match performance from Mustafi. It was his 21st match in a Gunners strip, with 15 wins, six draws, and nary a loss. Since then, Arsenal has won just a lone league tilt against Hull City to go with defeats to Watford, Chelsea, Liverpool, and West Brom. Dire.
Mesut Ozil
Theo Walcott has just scored a 40th-minute equaliser to hand Arsenal a chance at entering the half on a high note. The characteristically reticent crowd is as vocal as it was since the seventh-minute David Rocastle tribute, and the Gunners appear momentarily inspired.
That lasted for all of a minute and change, with Mesut Ozil's attempted pass out of his own end fired directly at David Silva before the Spaniard darts a one-touch pass to De Bruyne.
What happens next may come as a surprise to absolutely nobody.
De Bruyne makes a direct run to the area with Ozil ambling on the Belgian's right shoulder at a lethargic pace. With ease, De Bruyne dusts Ozil before making a fool of a curiously positioned Mustafi and a fruitless Francis Coquelin as Laurent Koscielny's distinctive clearance hits Silva's midriff like one too many pints.
Had David Ospina managed to block Sergio Aguero's shot into traffic, both De Bruyne and Silva were left unmarked courtesy of Ozil and Granit Xhaka's half-hearted attempts at marking the runners. Sloppier than a school lunch.
Francis Coquelin/Granit Xhaka
The only thing defensive about Coquelin and Xhaka is how apologetic many Arsenal supporters are in response to criticism of the midfield pairing.
Let's have a look at Sane's opener again, for reference. Forget for a moment that Mustafi is well out of position, and have a glance at Coquelin and Xhaka. Supposedly playing the role of defensive midfielders, neither player is in a position to track back and cover for Mustafi.
The result of that is a straightforward goal for Sane, where only Bellerin and Koscielny appear half-arsed to put an effort in.
To pour salt on the gaping wound that is Arsenal's midfield, revisiting Aguero's goal minutes before the interval is a source of endless frustration. Zooming in on De Bruyne's plumb dash, Coquelin gives up after stumbling over his own frailty, and Xhaka - whose uncomplicated role is to protect the back four - leisurely jogs into frame around the five-second mark.
The Swiss international set Arsenal back £35 million in the summer. Borussia Monchengladbach is laughing its way to the bank, as is much of the Premier League, as Arsenal digs itself a hole so deep not even a traditional April run will help.