Arsenal: At what point do you willingly bench Mesut Ozil?

Arsenal missed out on Mesut Ozil against West Ham for a supposed illness, but at what point do you willingly bench him, healthy or no?

Many an Arsenal fan rolled their eyes when Mesut Ozil was ruled out against West Ham due to another mystery illness that no one has ever bothered explaining. His agent did say that Ozil had back problems at one point, but no one has ever followed up on that.

This flame of doubt was stoked all the more when Unai Emery said that he had told Ozil that his position would be changing against the Hammers. Presumably to allow Aaron Ramsey to play centrally.

Now, Ozil is back, and he is fit and ready to play against Cardiff City. So my question, as the title alludes to, is do you start him? And if so, at what point do you actually consider benching him due to ineffectiveness and just overall disappointment.

The logic to sitting him was outlined above, but to add to it, Alex Iwobi has actually been quite effective, and he’s been drama free. And, if it doesn’t work, then Ozil can come on at half, or just after half, and be given his shot. Hell, maybe being willingly benched would remind Ozil that he has a lot yet to learn to fit into this Emery philosophy.

That said, I’m not in favor of benching him. Not yet, anyway. I can’t help but think that against a team like Cardiff, Ozil will have time and presence over the ball and an opportunity to right the ship. I have come to learn, from years of watching Ozil, that just when you are about to give up hope entirely, he comes out with a sparkling performance that reminds you just how good he is.

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Given how poor he has been, I have to feel that that moment is coming soon, and that Cardiff will provide him an excellent opportunity to be his best. They will know what he is capable of, though, and they will try to snuff that fire out, but this is Mesut Ozil and, no matter how much he tries to convince us otherwise, he has a tremendous amount of talent that can take center stage.

Now, if he doesn’t do well against Cardiff, even in the first 45 minutes, then I am all for yanking him off the pitch in favor of Iwobi and benching him for the next game. Given the spirit of experimentation that Emery has going on here, no one can be exempt. That’s part of what made me so excited through the first three games, Emery hasn’t shown the same undying loyalties to players that Wenger did. He’s made sensible, perhaps even harsh substitutions.

I’m trying to keep my expectations sensible for this match, but that optimism of know what this club can be is making it hard to do. Although, it’s made significantly easier when considering how difficult life was against West Ham for far too long.

I just hope Emery can find the best of Ozil, however he has to do it.