Arsenal vs Wolverhampton: Mesut Ozil entering into uncharted territory

Arsenal haven’t had a consistent Mesut Ozil since they signed him, and that was four years ago. And yet he is still going to be entering uncharted territory.

There aren’t any Arsenal players that divide opinion quite like Mesut Ozil. Even in the midst of a 15 match unbeaten run, there are questions regarding how viable of an option he is in the long-term, despite his new assertion that he could remain a Gunner until he retires.

Barring Leicester City, he hasn’t been at his best at all this year under Unai Emery, and there’s no hiding from that fact. And even though we are used to the inconsistencies, what we aren’t used to is what is coming against Wolverhampton. Ozil is about to go somewhere he has never gone before with his gameplay.

I can’t quite say enough about Mesut Ozil’s match against Liverpool. It was a direct reaction to his palpable frustration against Crystal Palace, when he was subbed just after the hour mark, after it had originally looked like Lacazette would be coming off.

But it wasn’t. It was Ozil. Just over an hour since his brilliant masterclass against Leicester City and he was being yanked because he had been anonymous all day.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Starting the match against Liverpool, you could tell that Ozil wasn’t as sharp as we needed him to be. He wasn’t as present, he couldn’t get himself into the match, and while he did go on to create a team high four chances, I think we can all agree that on the magical side of things, it wasn’t his best match.

And yet you could tell that this was a different Ozil because he was fighting for every inch of the pitch and that’s because he was fighting to stay on the pitch. He could tell that he wasn’t having the biggest impact on the match and to make up for it, he was busting his arse.

I’ve never seen that from him before. To go from brilliant to anonymous to determined worker in the span of three matches blows up everything I knew I didn’t know about Ozil’s inconsistency and makes me wonder what’s next. What will he do against Wolverhampton.

You’d think he would be back at his best. He fought for it, that’s for sure. And it’s not like Wolverhampton will play with the same intensity as Liverpool. They just don’t have the same level of talent. Whatever happens, we will be finding out soon.