Arsenal Vs Aston Villa: This is and is not the Mesut Ozil game

After stupidly starting him away to Watford last weekend, Arsenal head coach Unai Emery now has the perfect game to let Mesut Ozil flourish. And yet, he doesn’t. Let me explain.

Last season, Unai Emery struggled to trust Mesut Ozil away from home. Because of his natural languid style and seemingly lazy attitude, the German was dropped from the Arsenal team when on their travels, Emery preferring more committed and applied midfielders.

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But last week, away to bottom-of-the-table Watford, Ozil was reinstated into the starting XI, fielded at the tip of a diamond behind two centre-forwards for his start of the season. Even with Alexandre Lacazette out through injury and Emery having to adapt the shape of his front three as a result, it was a surprise decision.

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In reality, it was the wrong decision. While Ozil did not play badly necessarily, when Arsenal needed a mobile, hard-working, industrious midfield to contain the Watford comeback, Ozil was largely missing. He was neat and tidy with the ball, including playing a lovely pass in the build-up to the second goal, but it was his work without the ball that was detrimental to the team, which is especially pertinent when away from the Emirates.

This Sunday, the Gunners host Aston Villa. It is a match they expected to win. And not just win, but largely dominate with extended periods of possession and control in the midfield areas. Villa will likely sit deep and soak up pressure, conceding the ball to their hosts. The onus will very much be Emery’s side to break Villa down. And if there is a player who is perfectly suited to this pattern of match, it is Ozil.

There are few individuals in the world that possess the cutting-edge quality to cave open defences like Ozil. His vision is superb, he has a terrific weight of pass, leading teammates into spaces that they did not even realise were there, and he consistently creates chances at a tremendously high rate. Regarding the pattern of the match, Ozil seems like a perfect player to start. And yet, he isn’t.

Looking at Arsenal’s set-up, it is difficult to squeeze Ozil into a 4-3-3. He lacks the speed and athleticism to play out wide, while Emery wants a high-intensity, high-pressing central midfield, whether that be as a box-to-box player, a part of a double-pivot or as a number 10. Ozil does not execute the dirty side of playing central midfield well either.

Consequently, the only way for Emery to field the German with a back four is to use a 4-4-2 narrow diamond, as he did against Watford. And as we saw against Watford, it is a detestable shape that offers very little help to the players. The full-backs are isolated, the midfield is too congested, and there is no attacking width, the latter of which is vital in breaking down a low block.

Stylistically, then, Ozil is the ideal player for a home match against Aston Villa. But tactically, he does not really fit. It will be interesting to see which side of the coin Emery eventually lands.