Arsenal: The problem with the resurgent Mesut Ozil party

Arsenal were without Mesut Ozil against West Brom, and the results have begun to paint a picture of potential problems going forward.

It’s not always easy to get a clear read on Arsenal because they always manage to find new ways to surprise us. Usually in bad ways, but occasionally in good ways too. But one thing I think we can all conclusively say about the Gunners is that they don’t adapt well.

In multiple ways. For starters, when they sell a player, they rarely ever replace them straight away. When they are hit with tactics they didn’t necessarily expect, they take too long to readjust to what’s in front of them.

And, as we have seen far too often, when a key player is missing, the team very rarely finds a way to cope them that absence straight away.

It’s never easy to just “get over” a massive absence, but for the Gunners, it just seems much more difficult then it should be. When Shkodran Mustafi is out, the defense seems to lose its coordination and a lot of it’s organization.

When Aaron Ramsey is out, a lot of that midfield security, the competency transitioning into the attack, is lost. No one has been able to replicate that. Not even Jack Wilshere.

And Mesut Ozil, who was out against West Brom, was sorely, sorely missed. No one was able to replicate what he brings to the team. It was an odd sensation, because Ozil hasn’t been in such a pivotal role before. Important, yes. But not to the extent that we saw against West Brom.

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Which has several potential problems attached to it. For starters, we still don’t know if he is staying. But that isn’t the biggest problem.

The biggest problem is that, in his new, inspired form which (knock on wood) is here to stay, Ozil is absolutely vital to the success of this attack. It’s also no secret that Ozil has perhaps the worst track record I have ever seen of having random injuries and sicknesses spring up out of nowhere to claim him before games.

For such a crucial player, who Arsene Wenger is by no means ready to properly reinforce, that isn’t exactly a tasty situation to be in.

When Manchester City stretchered off Kevin De Bruyne against Crystal Palace, there was obviously quite the wonder of if they could continue in their superb form. But then there is the fact that Bernardo Silva is there. Ilkay Gundogan is there. These are two midfielders who aren’t as widely known as they used to be simply because they are playing support roles.

They can cover for the Belgian.

Next: Arsenal vs West Brom Player Ratings

Arsenal don’t have that. And they won’t under Wenger. If Ozil is going to be as consistently relevant as he is hinting at, then there has to be a solution to be found. And it can’t be Alex Iwobi. Not yet, anyway.

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