Arsenal Vs BATE Borisov: If there is a game for Mesut Ozil…

Arsenal host BATE Borisov with a one-goal deficit to overturn in their Europa League tie on Thursday night. If there is a game that is designed for Mesut Ozil, this is it.

Having the eighth-most expensive player in the world sit on your bench is rarely a smart way to run a football club. When that player is the primary source of creation for the team with the side lacking in craft and ingenuity whenever he is not present, it is an even more concerning situation.

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While there are plenty of long-term arguments to support Unai Emery’s recent decision to drop Mesut Ozil from his Arsenal XI for ‘tactical reasons’, in the here and now, it is difficult to watch the team without Ozil and think that the German would not improve things.

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Nowhere was that more evident than in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 32 tie against BATE Borisov last Thursday. The Gunners put 10 past the Belarusians over two group-stage matches last season and the same was expected again, especially with BATE having not played a competitive match in two months with their preseason being in the winter. But in perhaps their showing of the Emery era, Arsenal proceeded to lack any semblance of a threat after the opening 10 minutes, eventually falling 1-0 losers.

That defeat put them in a hole, a hole that they will try to dig themselves out of on Thursday. BATE come to the Emirates this week with a lead to defend. They proved in the first leg that they are more than capable of remaining well-structured and compact, enduring long periods without the ball. They will not be easy to break down.

These are the type of matches that Ozil was designed for. While there are plenty of questions surrounding his pressing, his mobility and his work rate off the ball, they are not so pressing in matches like these, in which Arsenal will dominate possession and will face a bunkering, disciplined defence.

They lacked the necessary craft and nous in the final third to open up Borisov last week, with left wing-back Sead Kolasinac creating seven of the 13 total chances, a sure-fire sign of the overall lack of creativity from the attacking players. Alex Iwobi was neat and tidy but brought little thrust to the play and Henrikh Mkhitaryan was largely anonymous once more.

Additionally, with Alexandre Lacazette suspended, a centre-forward who possesses the touch and hold-up skills to play in tight spaces, service for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who does not have the same intricate skill set as his strike partner, will be critical. Is there anyone in the squad that you would rather hand over the creative responsibility to for one match than Ozil?

Whether Emery will actually start Ozil, I have my doubts. There are obvious issues with their relationship, no matter what is said in public. But if he was waiting for the perfect match to thrust him back into the starting XI and invigorate a starting XI, this is it. Ozil’s stage is set. But will Emery call upon him?