Arsenal Vs Chelsea: Despite issues, Mesut Ozil absence still horrifying

Mesut Ozil was training separately from his Arsenal teammates on Saturday. His absence against Chelsea would be horrifying, even with his big-game issues that he has been heavily scrutinised for in the past.

The trip to Stamford Bridge is nearly upon us and a late piece of team news is rather worrying, even if others would have you believe otherwise. Thanks to several news outlets on Saturday, it has surfaced that Mesut Ozil is set to miss Sunday’s trip across London after training separately from the rest of the Arsenal squad.

For many, that will be a positive piece of news; for others, myself included, it is not so pleasing. Given his recent performances in the so-called ‘big games’, performances that have been heavily scrutinised by sections of the media that are perhaps overly-eager to see past his tidy and underpinning influence, it is, naturally, understandable for some to be pleased. Ozil, after all, is far from a hard worker when it comes to the defensive side of the game.

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However, while such shortcomings are valid and the conclusions drawn justifiable, that does not mean that Arsenal are better off with the German absent. There is the suggestion that the Gunners will be able to implement a quicker-breaking style, with Danny Welbeck coming in for Ozil and forming a pacy front-three alongside Alexandre Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez. But there is the key lack of an incisive distributor to play the penetrating, sliding through balls into the channels that help instigate such moves.

Aaron Ramsey and Granit, the presumed starters in central midfield, do have that talent, to an extent. But Xhaka can only do so from deep, lacking the agility and short-area sharpness to oil the neat interplay in a congested final third, and Ramsey’s passing is inconsistent, often over hitting passes that need to be precisely placed and paced for a counter-attack to be successful.

Moreover, without Ozil, even by playing a counter-attacking style, the inability to protect possession in midfield will cause problems defensively. Although there are occasions where teams can sit deep and soak up the pressure, withstanding waves and waves of attacks, for the most part, those who have more possession tend to create more chances and, subsequently, score more goals.

Additionally, I severely doubt that Arsenal have the personnel and the coaching to successfully implement such a defensive stand. They fail to work as a cohesive unit, their shape and structure is loose at best and clueless at worst, and their communication is non-existent, rarely aware of the roles and responsibilities of those around them, acting according to such understanding.

The presence of Ozil allows Arsenal to play on the front foot. His tempo-setting passing, his drifting in and out of space, his vision and creativity and his understanding of how to keep a team ticking over in possession all help. Without him, Wenger is forced to play a style that his players do not suit. And that is asking for a disaster.

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Win on Sunday, and Arsenal haul themselves to level on points with Chelsea and above both Spurs and Liverpool. There is a genuine opportunity to reignite a stagnating season that, for all intents and purposes, was quickly beginning to spiral out of control. Without Ozil, that will be far more difficult than with him, even if many may suggest otherwise.