FOUR MONTHS after being hauled off in the Europa League final in Baku, Mesut Ozil was finally asked to start earning his £350,000-a-week wages again. And nobody looked more surprised by this unexpected return to Arsenal action than Ozil himself. Manager Unai Emery appeared to have all but given up on a player who has gone missing in action far too many times down the years. The club spent most of the summer desperately trying to get the German off their wage bill without finding anyone interested in taking him off their hands. Ozil was too traumatised by an attempted car-jacking to start the season before he was laid low by yet another of those mystery illnesses to which he is so susceptible. But with Alexandre Lacazette ruled out for a month, Emery took the bold decision to recall Ozil at the tip of a midfield diamond and challenged him to show that he still has a part to play for the Gunners. For the first 20 minutes he appeared to be in shock at what was being asked of him and barely got out of second gear as the game passed him by. But then Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired Arsenal ahead and suddenly Ozil looked interested again. It was almost as if someone had flicked a switch as he drifted in between Watford’s defensive lines, demanding the ball and finding all sorts of spaces for his team-mates. Even when he collapsed in the centre circle with no-one remotely close, he picked himself straight back up and chased after the ball. But if that was something we hadn’t seen from Ozil before, his inch-perfect pass to help set up Aubameyang’s second goal was a timely reminder of just what he brings to this team when he’s up for it. The problem is that this Arsenal team are always capable of making life unnecessarily difficult for themselves as was proved once again when Watford were handed a ludicrous lifeline by Sokratis. And when the chips are down and you need everyone digging in, Ozil is not exactly the man for that job. He didn’t exactly looked delighted when he was replaced by Reiss Nelson for the final 20 minutes, but he didn’t exactly looked as though he’d given his all, either. That was Emery’s last throw of the dice after after previously withdrawing the industrious Dani Ceballos and Matteo Guendouzi. But Watford were firmly in the ascendancy by now and when David Luiz brought down Roberto Pereyra in the box, the Brazilian sub picked himself up to secure the point his team’s efforts deserved. Arsenal loanee Mohamed Elneny shown red card on Besikatas debut after kicking out at opponent
Mesut Ozil looked as shocked as anyone start against Watford - but briefly reminded Arsenal fans wha
FOUR MONTHS after being hauled off in the Europa League final in Baku, Mesut Ozil was finally asked to start earning his £350,000-a-week wages again. And nobody looked more surprised by this unexpected return to Arsenal action than Ozil himself. Manager Unai Emery appeared to have all but given up on a player who has gone missing in action far too many times down the years. The club spent most of the summer desperately trying to get the German off their wage bill without finding anyone interested in taking him off their hands. Ozil was too traumatised by an attempted car-jacking to start the season before he was laid low by yet another of those mystery illnesses to which he is so susceptible. But with Alexandre Lacazette ruled out for a month, Emery took the bold decision to recall Ozil at the tip of a midfield diamond and challenged him to show that he still has a part to play for the Gunners. For the first 20 minutes he appeared to be in shock at what was being asked of him and barely got out of second gear as the game passed him by. But then Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired Arsenal ahead and suddenly Ozil looked interested again. It was almost as if someone had flicked a switch as he drifted in between Watford’s defensive lines, demanding the ball and finding all sorts of spaces for his team-mates. Even when he collapsed in the centre circle with no-one remotely close, he picked himself straight back up and chased after the ball. But if that was something we hadn’t seen from Ozil before, his inch-perfect pass to help set up Aubameyang’s second goal was a timely reminder of just what he brings to this team when he’s up for it. The problem is that this Arsenal team are always capable of making life unnecessarily difficult for themselves as was proved once again when Watford were handed a ludicrous lifeline by Sokratis. And when the chips are down and you need everyone digging in, Ozil is not exactly the man for that job. He didn’t exactly looked delighted when he was replaced by Reiss Nelson for the final 20 minutes, but he didn’t exactly looked as though he’d given his all, either. That was Emery’s last throw of the dice after after previously withdrawing the industrious Dani Ceballos and Matteo Guendouzi. But Watford were firmly in the ascendancy by now and when David Luiz brought down Roberto Pereyra in the box, the Brazilian sub picked himself up to secure the point his team’s efforts deserved. Arsenal loanee Mohamed Elneny shown red card on Besikatas debut after kicking out at opponent
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