Don’t you think the past tense of ‘to snow’ should be ‘snew’?
For example: yesterday, it snew in the Sahara desert for the first time in 40 years.
It would take our minds off how catastrophic that sounds when you stop and think about it. It’s just like how the past tense of ‘to knit’ should be ‘knat’.
For example: My Granny knat me this terrible jumper for Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas, as those of us of that ilk prepare to enjoy the festivities, the players will be getting ready for festive football and a schedule of games which will prove testing. Not just because this is the Premier League and there are no easy games in the Premier League blah blah blah, but because of how quickly we play.
Monday v West Brom then Sunday v Crystal Palace is fairly normal, but we then have to go to Bournemouth on Tuesday, so some measure of rotation will be required there. I think the home game against Palace is the one where you’ve got most scope to do that, before sending your best team for what is, on paper, the more tricky away tie. If you talk about how you have a good deep squad, then it’s time to use it.
I imagine the other things being worked on this week is getting people focused again after those two difficult defeats, and I do wonder if there’s the need to pay particular attention to Mesut Ozil. The German was undeniably poor against Everton and Man City, but he was far from alone in that regard. Very few of our players did themselves justice in either game, but there’s only one man who cost £42.5m and that seems to have made him something of a lightning rod this time around.
That, the lack of jump for Ashley Williams goal, and that clip of him not pressing, seem to have been put forward as incontrovertible evidence of his flaws. And look, I’m not going to make excuses for any of that. Regardless of what kind of player he is – luxury, mercurial, whatever way you want to put it – there are basics that any player is capable of should he put his mind to it.
However, it does feel as if this tide has turned very quickly, and the anger of the last two games has made people forget how good he’s been for most of this season. The idea of benching him as punishment of some sorts is a bit like the old ‘let him rot with the reserves’ for a player who has expressed a desire to leave. It’s a nice soundbite, but the reality of the situation means it’ll never happen.
This current Arsenal team needs Mesut Ozil. Now, it needs the nine goals so far Mesut Ozil. It needs the five assists Mesut Ozil. The Mesut Ozil that will make a 60 yard sprint from his own half to get on the end of an Alexis pass to set up Alex Iwobi for a goal. It needs a Mesut Ozil that if he finds himself in a situation where he’s forced to do defensive work that you could maybe argue isn’t really in his remit, just does that bit of work to the best of his ability.
There are also suggestions that Arsene Wenger needs to find a way to make Mesut Ozil more effective in the big games away from home. That may be true, but the bigger picture is that he needs to find a way to make his team more effective in big games away from home. Some of that could come from Ozil being better, but to lay the blame at the feet of one man is really missing the point.
There are babies being thrown out with the bathwater all over the place this week. Very little Ozil – or Arsenal – did was up to scratch. If he’s the highest profile ‘offender’ this week, then fair enough, but if we’re going to get our season back on track, and quickly, then we’re going to need a player of his quality in the side. Not on the bench.
Right, not a lot else going on this morning. We should get a bit of team news at some point today, and we’ll bring you that over on Arseblog News as and when it happens.
Have a good one.
