Mesut Ozil was yesterday ruled out for up to 12 weeks with a knee injury. The £42.5 Million pound man has not really impressed much at the Emirates this season but how will this injury affect Arsenal?
Fringe Players may get a chance
Players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joel Campell and Tomas Rosicky may now get a chance to impress in the first team after being limited to first team appearances so far this season. Will these players offer more than Ozil? Can they prove to Wenger they deserve a more regular spot?
A change of formation?
Will this injury force Wenger into a change of formation? With Ozil out he may have to shuffle his pack and play different formations to accommodate the men who come in for Ozil. The Gunners usually play the 4-2-3-1 formation but now they may now try and fit people like the returning Theo Walcott into the side by playing wingers or maybe another striker.
Chance for others to shine
Players like Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere will have to perform well now the German international is out. So far this season it’s fair to say they may not have to lived up to the high expectations expected of them but now these players will be the main men in the Arsenal team, can they take the chance and put themselves in the spotlight?
A dip into the Transfer Market?
Will Ozil’s injury tempt the Wenger to go into the transfer market for back up? Although they do have good squad depth they seem to have injury prone players like Ramsey and Wilshire. So this may mean in January they want to bring someone into cover in case more injures strike. Although they may want to back up the men who play behind Ozil rather than the more attacking men.
Ozil to struggle to get back into the side
So far this season he has largely unimpressed and has received a fair bit of criticism from the Gunners faithful. If the men who come into the side impress he may struggle to get back into the side. He may have to accept coming back into the side, playing a new role altogether. Time will tell if the injury to Ozil forces any lasting changes at ‘The Emirates’.
Source: DSG
