Arsenal Vs Cardiff: Mesut Ozil’s playground?

Unai Emery has been hesitant to use Mesut Ozil in many games this season. But surely when Arsenal host Cardiff City on Tuesday, the German should be starting. This is his playground, right?

It has not been a positive season for Mesut Ozil. The German, who was named as one of Unai Emery’s five captains prior to the start of the year, has been in and out of the team thanks to back spasms, a reported rift with his new manager, and questions regarding his fit with the new direction the Arsenal team is taking.

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Because of his undoubted quality but questionable production, there has been a long-raging debate all year about whether Emery is right to drop Ozil for ‘tactical reasons’. His creativity has been missed at times, but an inability or unwillingness to press is a critical shortcoming for a midfielder in Emery’s system. There are valid points to either side of the argument.

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I am not here to say that Ozil must start every game. I am also not here to say that Ozil should never start until he can prove that he fits into Emery’s system. I land somewhere in the middle. And probably, in all likelihood, does the truth. But on Tuesday night, when Arsenal host relegation-battling Cardiff City, surely it is time to let Ozil out of the cage and into the arena? This, after all, is his playground.

I understand Emery’s hesitancy to play Ozil in high-tempo matches on the road, where teams are more likely to press high up the pitch and his lack of physicality will be a problem. I also understand Emery’s dropping him for the big matches when quick-paced counter-attacks are required, not the breaking down of deep, disciplined defences.

But it is reasonable to expect that this game will be nothing like those games. First off, Arsenal are at home, where they have largely been dominant, losing just one league game all year, the opening weekend loss to Manchester City. Secondly, Emery will demand that his team press high up the pitch and win the battle of possession. And finally, Cardiff are likely to play to that strategy, relinquish the ball in favour of a more compact defence.

These are the type of matches in which creativity and ingenuity in the final third are invaluable. It can be frustrating trying to engineer openings and chances when there is so little space to work in, especially in behind and in central zones. It takes the very best to unlock these defences, with superb vision, anticipation and awareness. There are not many players in the world that have the ability to consistently flourish in these type of games.

Even more pertinently, there might not be another player in the Arsenal squad that has the creativity required to orchestrate and craft on Tuesday night. Ozil might well be the Gunners’ best attacking hope. His eye for a pass, his weight of delivery, his all-seeing sight. They all comprise one of the best creators in the world.

These are the games that Ozil comes alive in. These are his playground. It would be stupid, then, not to unleash him.