Arsenal vs Chelsea: 5 key players in Europa League Final
By Josh Sippie
2. Mesut Ozil
Aaron Ramsey is already in Italy and Henrikh Mkhitaryan won’t be there, which means that unless Unai Emery goes off the cuff and starts Alex Iwobi at No. 10, he will have only once choice – Mesut Ozil. The creative kingpin, regarded as the best No. 10 in the world, yet one who has struggled massively all year long.
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Ozil has had mixed results as the No. 10 in a 3-5-2 set. At his best, he’s created a couple of chances, at his worst, it’s been like he wasn’t even there. Which isn’t necessarily as bad as being a liability, but playing with 10 men isn’t exactly advantageous.
Against Chelsea, if we can see a premium performance from Ozil, it will be like the bonus no one was expecting. If he can roam freely, create chances, shrug off defenders and dominate the game like he is capable of doing, then the match will undoubtedly go in our favor, at least from an offensive standpoint.
That’s what’s so frustrating about Ozil. We all know what he can do, he just so rarely does it. Well, if ever there was a time to endear himself to a questioning Arsenal fan base, this would be that time.
Finally, another obvious No. 1.