Arsenal: That “smell of blood” was the introduction of Mesut Ozil

Arsenal’s loss to Watford has the Hornets bashing the Gunners, but none of them are out of line, especially no the smell of blood.

Arsenal’s debilitating loss to Watford is easy to throw scorn at. Even setting aside all the positives that we did see – and don’t be stingy, there were quite a few – the big, annoying, infuriating recurring theme was the lack of any sort of fight or gumption or, as Troy Deeney so elegantly put it, “cojones.”

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And there was so much more said on Watford’s end, stuff that would normally infuriate Gooners if it didn’t make so much sense. It’s not a fun position to be in.

Tom Cleverly had perhaps the most poignant thing to say, as he said that in that last half hour, he “smelled a little bit of blood” (as quoted by the Guardian). Like sharks to a spurt of blood, Watford did exactly what naturally follows that thought process, they dominated.

That smell of blood was Mesut Ozil. When he got introduced to the game, Watford felt they had an opportunity to strike.I wouldn’t even say that this is necessarily Ozil’s fault directly.

But I will say this much: Since Mesut Ozil has come to the Premier League, he has struggled with the physicality of it. When teams target him directly, they can overcome his magician-like creativity.

That didn’t happen against Watford, but the introduction of Ozil does carry with it certain undertones and for a team like Watford, that strives on that strength and physicality of that the Premier League affords, seeing someone like Ozil come into the game is absolutely an opportunity.

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For that, I don’t blame Ozil so much as I blame Arsene Wenger. Watford’s positive reaction to Ozil getting sent on didn’t have to happen. It was a 1-0 game and we should have been pushing for a second goal, certainly, but you can’t tell me Wenger doesn’t know what kind of team Watford is. Why not push Jack Wilshere out there, a hard-nose baller like he is?

Hell, I’d even prefer to see Francis Coquelin out there and switch the formation to a more defensive set up to protect the lead which, honestly, was looking a lot more plausible than scoring a second.

The worst part about this is that Mesut Ozil has done nothing to prove the sharks wrong since he’s been in the Premier League. I always say that for world class players like him, you really have to see how they adjust to new circumstances.

Take Alexis Sanchez, for instance. He came to Arsenal, hit the ground running, but then got knocked off the pace. He adjusted and came back stronger.

Ozil had a brief resurgence following his lengthy injury in 2014/15 but since then, has failed to continue his adjustments.

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I’m sure that this article will get me branded as one of those people that “doesn’t understand football” because I “don’t appreciate Ozil”, but for what it’s worth, that isn’t the case. I just know what I want out of Arsenal and I don’t think Ozil is the way to get there. Watford think the same and they proved it.