Arsenal loanee Shkodran Mustafi endured a personal nightmare in Schalke’s 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Wolfsburg, with Sky pundit Didi Hamann taking aim at the error-strewn centre-half.
If Schalke were wondering why Arsenal were so happy to get rid of their £30 million World Cup winner during the January transfer window, they certainly know now.
Mustafi’s time in North London was dogged by defensive blunders and it seems that a change of scenery has not succeeded in focusing his mind.
The Germany international set Wolfsburg on their way to the most comfortable of 5-0 wins on Saturday, heading into his own net under minimal pressure.
Half an hour later, Mustafi was caught in possession as he tried to dribble out from the back, gifting a Champions League-chasing Wolves side their third of the evening.
Granit Xhaka would have been proud.
“What these players do is a shame for this traditional club,” former Liverpool and Germany ace Hamann said after another humiliating Bundesliga defeat for Schalke.
“The players suffer from excessive self-confidence. They think that they are better than they really are.
“The simplest thing in football is to defend. You don’t need great skill, you need cohesion and desire. And they can’t even do that. What this team allows is characterless and not worthy of a Schalke 04!”
Mustafi found himself at the centre of a storm just weeks after arriving, allegedly playing a key role in convincing the Schalke board to sack former coach Christian Gross.
Gross, who led The Miners to their one and only Bundesliga win this season, would then tell Blick that, if he could turn back the clock, he would have had second thoughts about signing Mustafi in the first place.
“He arrives, then plays a role in the change of coach and is involved in every goal conceded. This is a player who has not played for Arsenal for a year and there is a reason for that,” Hamann added.
Schalke have now conceded 66 goals in 25 games – the worst tally of any Bundesliga team in 34 years.
Furthermore, with just 10 points to their name, relegation is now only a matter of time.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
