Revealed: Mustafi inclusion in Arsenal team of decade emphasises club decline

Concluding our series looking into the team of the decade for 10 of the biggest clubs in Europe, it's time to assess Arsenal. As ever, in order to qualify a player needs to have made at least 70 appearances for the club across the Premier League and Champions League since 2010.

Goalkeeper: Petr Cech (115 apps) - 6.91 rating

Petr Cech made 115 appearances for Arsenal across the two competitions after making a controversial move from Chelsea in the summer of 2015. He never really rediscovered his best form for the Gunners but the standard of goalkeeping at Arsenal hasn't been particularly high since Jens Lehmann left the club the first time in 2008. Cech averaged 3.1 saves per game and kept 43 clean sheets across the two tournaments.

Right-back: Bacary Sagna (172 apps / 3 goals) - 7.08 rating

Bacary Sagna was considered one of the Premier League's most dependable right-backs up until he ran down his contract and joined Manchester City in the summer of 2014. He averaged 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game from the turn of the decade until his departure and impressively was dribbled past just 0.31 times per game in that time.

Centre-back: Shkodran Mustafi (92 apps / 7 goals) - 7.22 rating

The fact Shkodran Mustafi makes Arsenal's team of the decade just illustrates how badly the club has drifted since the turn of the decade. Arsenal has failed to properly invest in defence and have been found out time and time again for years. Mustafi averages more aerial duels won per game than any other Arsenal player this decade (4) but is let down in nearly every other aspect to be considered a reliable centre-back for the Gunners.

Centre-back: Laurent Koscielny (296 apps / 24 goals) - 7.21 rating

Laurent Koscielny has made the most appearances for Arsenal across the two tournaments this decade, though his time at the club was soured by the manner of his departure in the summer. The former France international ranks top at the club for interceptions per game (2.8) and most clearances per game (5.7). He also scored 24 goals across the two competitions.

Left-back: Thomas Vermaelen (132 apps / 14 goals) - 7.08 rating

Thomas Vermaelen divided his time at centre-back and left-back at Arsenal before being snapped up by Barcelona in the summer of 2014. Injuries started to rob the Belgian of his best years but he still manages to make Arsenal's team of the decade. Vermaelen scored 14 goals for Arsenal from the turn of the decade, with six of those coming in the 2011/12 league campaign.

Central midfield: Santi Cazorla (157 apps / 25 goals) - 7.51 rating

There is a familiar theme to a number of the players in Arsenal's team of the decade: injuries. Santi Cazorla had a nightmare time with injuries before he eventually left Arsenal in 2018, limited to just 22 league starts across his last three seasons at the club. Cazorla ranks third for accurate passes per game of Arsenal players this decade (56.6) and fourth for most key passes per game (2.1). He registered double figures for assists in two of his first three league campaigns for the club and has since rediscovered his best form back at Villarreal.

Central midfield: Alex Song (111 apps / 7 goals) - 7.38 rating

Alex Song may look back on his decision to leave Arsenal for Barcelona in the summer of 2012 with some regret as he was never the same player after that. He was just developing into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and the same class was never seen again. Song boasted a fine dribble success rate of 69.9% across the two competitions and registered 11 assists in his final league campaign at the club. Moreover, he ranks top at the club for tackles and interceptions combined per game (5.9) this decade.

Right wing: Samir Nasri (70 apps / 17 goals) - 7.32 rating

Samir Nasri made 70 appearancs across league and Champions League competition for Arsenal this decade to just sneak into the XI. Nasri, like Song, found out that leaving Arsenal doesn't always translate into a better career. While the Frenchman won silverware at Manchester City, his career has petered out quite in disappointing fashion. Nasri played a direct hand in 25 goals in 70 appearances for the club across the two competitions and had a goal of the season competition with himself during his final two years at Arsenal.

Attacking midfield: Mesut Ozil (202 apps / 39 goals) - 7.26 rating

Mesut Ozil's Arsenal career feels like it is dragging out now but it shouldn't take away from what a sensational player he has been for the club. It was a coup they managed to sign him from Real Madrid in 2013 and he perfectly fit in with the slick Arsenal style of play built under Arsene Wenger. His ability to pick a cutting-edge pass was unrivalled at times, illustrated by the fact he has registered the most assists for Arsenal this decade (59). Unsurprisingly, he also has the best key passes per game ratio (3) at the club.

Left wing: Alexis Sanchez (144 apps / 69 goals) - 7.73 rating

Alexis Sanchez pretty much downed tools for the final chapter of his Arsenal career before joining rivals Manchester United in January 2018. Despite the fact his form tailed off so much for the final 12 months, he is still Arsenal's player of the decade, emphasising how good he was for the most part. Sanchez played a direct hand in 103 goals in 144 appearances across the two competitions, while he ranks top for dribbles per game (3.2) and times fouled per game (2.2). Furthermore, he has won the WhoScored Man of the Match award at least 11 more times than any other player for Arsenal (32).

Striker: Robin Van Persie (92 apps / 64 goals) - 7.71 rating

Robin van Persie had problems staying fit at the start of the career at Arsenal before developing into one of the best goalscorers in the Premier League. His form in front of goal earned a high profile move to Manchester United in 2012, where he fired them to the title in his first season. Van Persie impressively averages a goal across the two competitions more frequently than any other Arsenal player this decade (every 114.3 minutes of action).

Notable omissions...

Olivier Giroud (7.02 rating) - Underrated and undervalued in many ways, Olivier Giroud has scored more goals for Arsenal this decade than any other player (85). Excluding substitute appearances, Giroud's WhoScored rating across the two competitions jumps to (7.31).

Aaron Ramsey (6.99 rating) - Played a direct hand in 96 goals in 291 appearances across the two competitions - the fourth most for Arsenal this decade. Similarly to Giroud, his WhoScored rating is impacted massively by the amount of appearances made as a substitute. Without them, his rating is 7.18 across the two tournaments.