Arsenal: Mesut Ozil finds similar shadow in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Mesut Ozil was a firecracker against Crystal Palace. But he still operates his best outside of the spotlight like Alexis provided. Thankfully, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang creates a similar situation.

It’s long been said that Mesut Ozil was the man pulling the switches behind the curtain while Alexis Sanchez dominated the all-seeing eye of Sauron. Or something like that. The point is Arsenal thrived on this duality. Ozil created from behind the scenes and Alexis captured the attention.

Ozil has always been that kind of player, making things happen from the background. Stick someone on him, an aggressive defensive midfielder, perhaps, and you can severely disrupt his rhythm.

Nowadays, Ozil is looking much more like a superstar – someone that can take control of a game. But there is no denying that he is still going to be at his best when he is able to exert his influence outside of the spotlight.

With Alexis gone, the shadow that the Chilean cast as a safe haven for Ozil is no longer there. And as of yet, there is no shadow being cast by Alexandre Lacazette. The closest we have seen is from Aaron Ramsey, who has that superstar, spotlight mentality.

But if we’re thinking optimistically, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will create exactly the haven needed for Ozil to operate from within his comfort zone. Ozil can be the Robin to Aubameyang’s Batman (see what I did there?)

In return, both players get what they need and can grow a partnership that is, perhaps unsurprisingly, better than what Ozil had with Alexis.

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Aubameyang requires service and no one in the world provides that better than Ozil. Meanwhile, Ozil needs a target. He already has one in Lacazette, but adding another? That’s just a second feast for a man with an insatiable appetite for creation.

This isn’t all about projecting what can happen, though. It’s about accepting what will. Everyone sees the difference between when Ozil is on the pitch and when he isn’t. Yet the difference is even clearer each time we had the trio of Alexis, Ozil and Lacazette on the pitch. Ozil was at his best, as was Lacazette, as was the team.

That trio is being upgraded in such a way that it is almost forcing Ozil out of the spectrum altogether. Aubameyang, Lacazette and the incoming Henrikh Mkhitaryan are all a more direct threat to goal than Ozil, who will be basking in the shadow of the three pronged attack that has suddenly budded around him.

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At this point, Ozil is the man. Make him more comfortable and the team benefits more. Putting him in a position of safety, where he isn’t in the immediate spotlight, is one way to do that.

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