Unai Emery must start Mesut Ozil and Lucas Torreira for Arsenal against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After all, facing Wolves at home won’t be an easy task for Ozil or Emery, even at home.
Last season the Gunners took only a single point from a possible six against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side (BBC).
Ozil and Torreira both started in the 1-1 draw in North London back in November 2018. A year on the result will not solely depend on what the German can produce or what the Uruguayan could add if they are to return to Unai Emery’s Premier League team selection but how well the midfield as a whole is constructed using their qualities.
Granit Xhaka is not expected to play after a week that saw the abuse sent to the Swiss international, and his reaction to fans, dominate the agenda. With the midfielder taken out of the firing line, there are opportunities for others to play alongside Matteo Guendouzi against Wolves.
Emery has usually set up his midfield this season with a deeper-lying player as the No. 6 behind two more active options as the box-to-box No. 8s.
This has often left too much of a gap between the heart of the team and the forward line, with a lack of quality service for the attackers as a result.
It is also a situation that naturally forces those two players in the No. 8 roles to push higher, isolating Xhaka as the deeper midfield. This in turn has resulted in him punting long balls forward and exposed by nimble opponents able to take advantage of his relative lack of speed and agility.
When Ozil started for Arsenal midweek against Liverpool, there was a sharpness that had been missing from the Arsenal midfield, especially in the way that the German picked out the team’s attackers to feed chance after chance. He needed only one touch for each of the goals he was involved in.
For the first, in a crowded box he picked the perfect pass for Bukayo Saka whose shot was parried into Torreira’s path. For Gabriel Martinelli’s second he pounced on a loose pass, releasing Saka again with a single touch before the 18-year-old slid the ball across to the Brazilian for an easy finish. Then, as the ball was trickling toward the byline to disappear beyond the Liverpool goal he outrageously flicked it back for Ainsley Maitland-Niles to tap home for the Gunners.
Unlocking doors that couldn’t be opened against Sheffield United or Crystal Palace, Ozil showed the qualities Arsenal have lacked in the final third without him on the pitch. They go into their match against Wolves having failed to score a single Premier League goal from open play in October (Sun).
Improving the team’s ability to produce chances is all well and good but the Gunners will still need to protect themselves from a Wolves team who have shown themselves to be specialists at undermining top-six opponents under Nuno.
For all the quality shown by Ozil, Arsenal still let slip their lead at Anfield three times to draw 5-5 and eventually lose on penalties, and while Torreira may have played against Liverpool he still holds the key to stiffening up his team’s spine.
It was after the Uruguayan left the pitch to be substituted for Dani Ceballos that Divock Origi hit back for another equaliser late on.
Rather than just sitting back as the No. 6, Torreira has the mobility Xhaka lacks to step into his opponents without leaving his defenders completely exposed which will be vital against Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves.
It’s a combination that would also suit the Frenchman, unburdened from having to cover for Xhaka’s sluggishness with Ozil able to take the pressure off a young player who has also been put into a sometimes awkward position of having to carry the creative burden at times as well.
The bigger question is whether a midfield reshuffle for Wolves would be the move Emery is likely to make, whether or not he is forced into a change of plan brought on by circumstances beyond his control.
It’s a combination that would also suit the Frenchman, unburdened from having to cover for Xhaka’s sluggishness with Ozil able to take the pressure off a young player who has also been put into a sometimes awkward position of having to carry the creative burden at times as well.
The bigger question is whether a midfield reshuffle for Wolves would be the move Emery is likely to make, whether or not he is forced into a change of plan brought on by circumstances beyond his control.
