2 – On or off the pitch – where are there more issues?
Mesut Ozil. Just that very name will divide opinion and have you debating his quality until the sun goes down. So, let’s forget about his ability and focus on what happened last night.
For the first time in history, Arsenal were allowed to name a 20-man squad in the Premier League. Nine substitutions. NINE. Did Ozil make it on the bench? No.
As ever, there was no injury, with Arteta simply stating he left Ozil out due to ‘tactical reasons’. Hmmm. For someone who had played in every game since Arteta arrived, Ozil isn’t exactly lacking support. So, what’s happened in the last 100 days?
Well, it may have something to do with his £350,000 a week contract and the fact that Arsenal are staring deep into the reality of no European football next year. My next thought is preparing for an old school car boot sale.
Ozil has been a fantastic servant to the club, but when you have a player like him on that salary and not playing, you’ve got a problem. Compare him to a Bukayo Saka, 18 years of age and willing to put in five times the amount of distance on a football pitch on an eighth of Ozil’s salary. Not hard to decide which has a better future in this team.
The break between next season, albeit short, could well be the most important for the likes of Raul Sanllehi and Edu, who will be tasked with killing off some of the weeds whose roots are keeping Arsenal grounded.
Against City, five of Arsenal’s starting 11 were under the age of 23, which I think tells you everything you need to know about where, and how, Arteta wants this ship to sail.