Arsenal Vs Crystal Palace: Mesut Ozil’s Stage Is Set

Arsenal take a tricky trip to Cyrstal Palace on Monday night in desperate need of a win. The stage is set for Mesut Ozil to sparkle.

Wednesday night’s 3-0 home win over West Ham United was the first taste of Premier League victory for Arsenal since February 11th. During that run they have lost to Watford, Liverpool and most recently West Brom, have slipped down to sixth in the table and see their top four chances hanging in the balance.

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Arsene Wenger’s side currently sit seven points behind Manchester City, who are in fourth, and nine points behind Liverpool in third. They do, however, have two games in hand on City and three on Liverpool. Win those and they are suddenly right back in the thick of the Champions League qualification race.

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The first of those crucial games in hand is on Monday night. The Gunners take a short trip across London to face Crystal Palace, a side that are rejuvenated in recent weeks after the oft relegation-staving influence of Sam Allardyce has begun to take its toll. Palace have won four of their last five games, conceding five goals (three of them were in the midweek loss to Southampton) and keeping three clean sheets. Christian Benteke has now scored in his last two appearances as Allardyce continues to shape the side into a mould that suits the Belgian, while Wilfried Zaha is in the best form of his career.

This is a must-win game for Arsenal and it is far from guaranteed. The stage is set. But who will be the starring man?

Well, it could possibly be Mesut Ozil. The German has been downright poor since the turn of the year. His lack of defensive effort, his apparent apathy to the cause, something that Wenger has strongly refuted in recent weeks, combined with his blunted attacking play of late, have led many to question his utility in the squad, a critique that is especially poignant as his contract winds down to just one year remaining from the end of the season.

However, in Wednesday night’s 3-0 win over West Ham United, Ozil showed glimpses that his best form is seeping back into his game. There was a 20 minute period after half-time where he singlehandedly dominated the game, setting the tempo of Arsenal’s attacking moves, scoring the opening goal and assisting the second with an incredibly precise square pass, picking out Theo Walcott in the penalty area who assertively planted the ball into the bottom corner.

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There may not be a more important player than Ozil in the Arsenal squad. He is so integral to the rhythm and fluidity of their free-flowing, sweeping moves. He knits together their play in the final third. He prods and he probes; pulls and pushes, caressing the ball with great care and ingenuity. Ozil is a phenomenal player who has suffered a poor run of form. The stage is now set for him to rise back to the top.