I find that during the International Break, it’s always relatively quiet on the Arsenal front but for some reason there seemed to be a little bit more buzz around the club this time around. There were talks about a potential new Director of Football, bringing in past Gunner Marc Overmars. There were whispers about Ozil’s contract situation and the announcement of CalumChambers extending his Arsenal contract until 2021. And of course, January transfer rumors that won’t go away.
I think Mesut Ozil’s contract situation has Arsenal fans feeling mixed emotions. There is no question that he has been a great player for us since his arrival in 2013. His signing brought a certain spark at the end of that transfer window, especially because it was a club record fee at the time and he was a player coming from a European giant like Real Madrid. But very recently, Arsenal has seen success without him in the squad and maybe this contract situation is pulling fans away from him. Time and time again we see very up and down performances from him. I think fans always turn to the “big games” when being critical of Ozil’s play, like the games against Bayern Munich in the Champions League or the clashes against Chelsea and Manchester United in the Premier League. But then you think back to last season when he scored his Champions League hat trick against Ludogorets and contributed 12 goals in all competitions or the 2015/16 season where he led the league with 19 assists. That’s the Mesut Ozil that Arsenal fans love and don’t seem to see enough of. For Arsenal to be successful, we need to see the Ozil who has created more chances and has contributed more assists than any other player in the Premier League since his arrival.
He’s had a slow start to this season, mostly due to the fact that he’s been out injured but I think this looming contract situation is also playing a role on his game mentally. If he can get over that mental hump and get back to playing Ozil football, Arsenal can and will be very dangerous in the offensive front. He’s back in full training now and will be available for the Watford clash.
On to the weekend! Arsenal are away to Vicarage Road for a clash against 8th place Watford and are unbeaten since the loss to Liverpool. All players have returned from international duty and only a few injuries to account for.
Mustafi is now officially out for four to six weeks according to Arsene Wenger which is a big blow on the defensive front. Mustafi has had his criticisms but he’s been performing relatively well as of late. Laurent Koscielny is also in need of a test before the Watford game and as of now is not available per Arsene Wenger. Sead Kolasinac is also having a test on his hip after sustaining an injury playing for Bosnia & Herzegovina. There is no doubt that we’ll be seeing a different back three on Saturday evening. I’m hoping to see the likes of Mertesackerand Holding alongside player of the year candidate Nacho Monreal. Wasn’t that the back three that helped Arsenal lift the FA Cup last year?? Hmm…
Some good news is that Danny Welbeck is back and available for selection as is Mesut Ozil, which I mentioned earlier.
Predicted Starting XI
Cech; Monreal, Mertesacker, Holding; Bellerin, Kolasinac; Xhaka, Ramsey; Alexis, Ozil, Lacazette
Will this finally be the week we see Alexis, Ozil and Lacazettein the same starting XI?!
Predicted Result
Watford will be without two big name defensive players, Sebastian Prodl and Younes Kaboul so Arsenal have to look to exploit that part of the pitch. I think Arsenal will have most of the possession in this game and will look to take the home fans out of the game early. I predict a 2-1 win for Arsenal.