Mesut Özil’s Masterful Performance Against Bournemouth

Mesut Ozil delivered a masterful performance to inspire Arsenal to a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth at The Emirates on Wednesday night. The German playmaker opened the scoring with a deft chip, teed up Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the second and looked extremely dangerous throughout. He also displayed fantastic work rate in a bid to prove to Unai Emery that he can fit into the manager’s high intensity style of play. The Gunners look a much better team with Ozil pulling the strings and there is now a strong case for Emery to reinstate him as a first team regular for the rest of the season.

In mitigation, this was a game tailor made for a player of Ozil’s talents. Bournemouth had lost their previous nine away games and they were unlikely to offer much resistance to Arsenal’s attack. Eddie Howe’s men simply cannot bring themselves to park the bus and they always try to play expansive football, which leaves plenty of space for Ozil to wreak havoc. He will need to turn it on against a higher calibre of opposition in order to convince Emery of his newfound worth to the team, but the signs are positive.

Arsenal now enters a crucial phase of the season as they desperately try to claw their way back into the Champions League. Emery and co need money to plug gaping holes in the squad, and the absent owner is not a fan of investing his own cash in the project, so the riches that Champions League football brings would provide a huge boost. They have two avenues: finish in the top four of the table or win the Europa League. A Bookmaker review and an analysis of the betting lines reveals that they are underdogs in both markets.

Chelsea are the clear favourites to finish in the top four after beating Tottenham on Wednesday, while Man Utd are second in the betting and Arsenal are third. Spurs could yet get sucked back into it, but Arsenal are still outsiders in this market. Chelsea are also the favourites to win the Europa League, followed by Serie A outfit Napoli and then Arsenal, who are once again third in the betting. Yet the Gunners will take a huge amount of confidence from the manner of their victory over Bournemouth this week.

It followed a similarly dominant display against Southampton in their previous outing and it is encouraging to see so many attacking options at Emery’s disposal. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came in for Alexandre Lacazette and looked equally impressive, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is in the best form of his Arsenal career thus far, and the ability to rotate players will be crucial in the run-in. Yet there is a case for Ozil being the first name on the team sheet. He has an infuriating tendency to go missing in big games, and also to miss lengthy spells through illness, but when he is on song he is unplayable.

Without Ozil in the side, the Gunners often huff and puff, but lack incision. The German can deliver precise through balls, his movement is exceptional and he links midfield and attack with aplomb. Emery is a demanding coach and he clearly grew sick of Ozil’s lack of endeavour, but it would be amazing if Arsenal’s highest-earning player has actually responded well to a spell on the sidelines and the team will benefit from a re-energised, motivated player that is ready to lead this team to greater glories. Arsenal are fourth in the table, so their destiny is in their own hands, and there are no excuses in the Europa League as Chelsea are a mess. If Ozil shines for the next couple of months it could yet end up as a successful season for Arsenal and spark optimism for a bright future under Emery, so the case for him to give his star man a chance is compelling.

 

How Do You Think Arsenal Are Doing Now We’re Half Way Through The Season?

Arsenal lost against West Ham 1-0 today as we still sit in 5th place, which could change depending what happens to Manchester United tomorrow.

The question is how has our season been so far? Has Unai Emery done a good job so far? Is he underachieving or overachieving?

Personally, I think his impact has been overwhelmingly positive and he’s brought new ideas to the club. For me, he needs time and with the amount of money Silent Stan will give him he needs at least 3/4 seasons to make his mark.

After this weekend Arsenal would have played 22 games – having won 12, drawn 5 and lost 5.

With the mess of a squad he inherited, I think Unai Emery has done a great job. Several players like Hector Bellerin, Granit Xhaka and Alexander Iwobi have improved under the Spaniard, and we do play with more of a structured system.

The ridiculous scenarios regarding Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey are in no way down to him and a result of the mis-management from Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis. Under Emery, he can improve things.

So how do you think we’re doing this season? Are you happy with the progress we’re making so far?

Leave your thoughts and comments in the section below!

 

Full Arsenal Player Ratings For The Manchester City Game

Arsenal lost 2-0 to Manchester City in the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. Here are the full player ratings for the match below:

1. Petr Cech: 8/10

The new captain gave a commanding performance and made 3 important saves in the opening 15 minutes, when Manchester City are irresistible. Was vocal to the players in front of him but with a make-shift back four he had a tough task.

Couldn’t do anything with either goal, both of which were well crafted by Manchester City as they ran our defensive line ragged.

2. Hector Bellerin: 7/10

Supported the attack well whenever we did manage to get forward and probably had our best chance when Maitland-Niles played a sweeping ball across from the left and Bellerin did well to mug off Mendy and smash in a shot from close range. Once of those chances which you hoped went towards the far corner but ended up going straight at the keeper.

Will be interesting to see how much competition Stephan Lichtsteiner can give him this season.

20. Shkodran Mustafi: 7/10

Usually a liability but put in a decent performance today. Not many defenders will cope with the Manchester City attack but was well organise alongside new signing Sokratis and made a couple of important tackles.

Central defensive is a position we’re a bit light so Arsenal need him to have a consistent season.

5. Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 6/10

A tough introduction into Premier League life but he will get better. Tough to really evaluate his performance as he was run ragged like most of the team at times but didn’t seem out of place.

15. Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 6/10

Was given the run around from Riyad Mahrez and Kyle Walker for the first half an hour before going off injured. Despite that, was full of running and never gave up, which is all you can ask for from a central midfielder asked to play as a full back.

34. Granit Xhaka: 5/10

Didn’t impose himself on the game and went missing for large parts of it. He is a player who doesn’t seem to know what his responsibilities are and it shows. Is he a ball winning midfielder or a ball playing one? Well he did neither and was vastly overshadowed by his considerably younger counterpart. Should be the one to make way once Lucas Torreira is fully fit but have a sneaky suspicion he won’t.

29. Matteo Guendouzi: 8/10

Considering his experience (or lack thereof) he put in a really excellent performance in this afternoon. He was composed, committed and won more tackles in central midfield than I’ve seen over the last few seasons. Clearly once Lucas Torreira is fully fit then he will be a guaranteed started but on this evidence Guendouzi will be the man to partner him in midfield, not Granit Xhaka.

7. Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6/10

Has put in better performances in an Arsenal shirt and was disappointing today. Perhaps asked to play a role he’s not used to, having to track back on the left hand side – and was unable to give the young Ashley Maitland-Niles adequate cover on that side. Although the caveat being most teams would struggle against Kyle Walker and Riyad Marhez / Bernado Silva.

10. Mesut Özil: 4/10

Did Özil have a late night? His passing was off, his vision was off, and his all round performance was off. Seemed to lack concentration and it’s hard to believe he is (by far) our highest paid player. People sometimes lay into Özil for his performances but he’s a superstar signing on superstar wages – he’s treated like a World Class player but doesn’t perform like one.

Badly mis-kicked a golden opportunity when Lichtsteiner cut back from the left, badly mis-controlled a ball when Ederson kicked it out to him (which he should have scored from) and to cap it all he got in the way (and got caught offside) when he should have left it and let the onside Lacazette go through on goal.

A performance which stank out the entire stadium.

8. Aaron Ramsey: 5/10

Not convincing at all and struggled to impose himself on the game. Definitely had the contract situation hanging over his head and you could tell from his performance. Was in the Number 10 role which was strange considering Mesut Özil is better suited to that position so it’s unclear if Unai Emery is appeasing him so he’ll sign a new deal?

14. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 6/10

Isolated up front but should have done better with the opportunities he had. The lack of service from Özil, Ramsey and Mkhitaryan didn’t help but with his pace and movement should have given Manchester City a few more problems.

Substitutes:

12. Stephan Lichtsteiner: 7/10
Came on for Maitland-Niles on 35 minutes

Did what was asked of him and looked like a solid player who Arsenal will need over the coming season. Wasn’t afraid to get involved and more importantly get in Manchester City’s faces, which is something we lack considering we’re far too much of a soft touch.

Look forward to him playing more although right back isn’t a position we’re struggle for numbers unfortunately, it’s the other side.

9. Alexandre Lacazette: 7/10
Came on for Ramsey on 54 minutes

Looked lively when he came on and more of a goal threat than Aubameyang. Had a couple of decent half chances which if taken, could have changed the game. Emery will certainly have something to think about come the Chelsea game and he has definitely put himself in the frame to start that match. Played like he has a point to prove.

11. Lucas Torreira: 6/10
Came on for Xhaka on 70 minutes

Did well for his 20 minute cameo and looks a tidy player. Hard to really evaluate his impact considering the number of minutes we played but the sooner he can start instead of Granit Xhaka, the better.

 

Many Positives For Unai Emery But Mesut Özil Needs To Be Sold!

Arsenal lost 2-0 in their opening game of the 2018/2019 season and although we were outplayed at times, the future looks positive.

The young Frenchman, Matteo Guendouzi, looked excellent in central midfield and although he was a bit rash at times, overall he was fantastic – making important tackles, getting around the pitch and putting in a real team performance.

Lucas Torreira looked good once he came on to replace Granit Xhaka, and when introduced Stephen Lichtsteiner looked like a handy addition as well.

Manchester City where as you would expect – a team with seasons under their belt with an experienced manager, who were clear winners in the Premier League last year.

And Arsenal, were also where you would expect – a team in transition after a seismic change this summer.

There were some positives we can build on, but also a few negatives.

Mesut Özil was playing as if he was asleep and if he was more alert we could have scored a couple of goals – the first opportunity went begging after his mis-control went straight into the hands of Ederson and the second after he got in the way and got penalised for being offside when Lacazette was clean through.

And then there was the chance he had from a Lichtsteiner cut back, which he. managed to miss completely and fall over in the process.

With Aaron Ramsey in the team, the side doesn’t look balanced with Özil in the team and if you ask me which one should make way, it has to be the German (former) international.

 

Positives For Unai Emery But Mesut Özil Needs To Be Dropped!

Arsenal lost 2-0 in their opening game of the 2018/2019 season and although we were outplayed at times, the future looks positive.

The young Frenchman, Matteo Guendouzi, looked excellent in central midfield and although he was a bit rash at times, overall he was fantastic – making important tackles, getting around the pitch and putting in a real team performance.

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