Arsenal Vs West Ham United: 5 things we learned – Worst performance of the season

2. Yes, Mesut Ozil would have helped

Mesut Ozil was not involved in the matchday squad for ‘tactical reasons’. That is according to a London Evening Standard report prior to kick-off. In the commentary, Sky Sports claimed that this match came too soon for the German as he only returned to full training earlier this week. For Unai Emery’s sake, I hope the latter is true.

I can understand not wanting to start Ozil. He does not work hard enough without the ball, his pressing is lapse and uncoordinated, and he goes missing for large periods of matches, especially on the road. And indeed, this type of game would most certainly not have suited Ozil — the physicality and athleticism of West Ham would likely have stifled his creativity.

But there is no excuse to not have a player of Ozil’s calibre and attacking ingenuity on the bench. Arsenal were chasing the game in the second half and barely created a decent opportunity. They were severely lacking an individual with Ozil’s creative skill set. If he was fit enough, he should have been on the bench.