Kevin Whitcher
A chilly late November evening. Many season ticket holders didn’t fancy a trip to the Emirates, even though this was a Premier League fixture and not on TV. And a good number of those that did make it were still struggling to get past the security checks outside the turnstiles when the roar that welcomed Alexandre Lacazette’s opening goal went up. A shame, because it was a thing of beauty, with Aaron Ramsey backheeling the ball into the striker’s path and him dispatching it coolly. Soon after, he almost scored a second with a lob over the keeper from a very tight angle, only to see it cleared off the line. As good strikers do, the Frenchman knows where the goal is, and the groin strain he suffered that led to his withdrawal at half-time will weaken the team on Saturday against Manchester United. One imagines it is a choice between Welbeck and Giroud as to who might come in, although Arsene Wenger may also look at pushing Aaron Ramsey forward and bringing in someone else to partner Granit Xhaka.
Anyhow, after the early flurry, Arsenal seemed to lose focus and misplaced passes led to a loss of momentum. Huddersfield got into the game and could easily have equalized with excellent chances both during the first half and early in the second. The home side rode their luck, but it didn't augur confidence. The crowd were feeling frustrated and one feared the implications of David Wagner’s team drawing level.
At the beginning of the second half, I decided to entertain myself by switching into ‘Ozil Watch’ mode – a diversion I occasionally do when I feel the need to more closely examine player’s contribution to a game. It was a good choice (one actually inspired by my wondering at times whether he was actually on the pitch in the first half). Slow to start after the interval, he did little of note, except a meaty foul in his own half, but three quarters of the way into the match, he turned it on for a four minute period which brought three goals. Dennis Bergkamp used to do this sometimes. Basically seem to make a minimal contribution to the game except be significantly involved in the moment that won it.
Ozil is an enigma for sure, and I think it’s safe to say he stayed at home last Sunday because the manager decided he would be a waste of space at Turf Moor. Certainly, he is at odds with the values of physical commitment and aggressive hunger that are paramount in the Premier League, values exuded by his fellow wantaway superstar Alexis Sanchez. And yet, one has to understand exactly what type of player Ozil is, and that effectively you put him in a team that accommodates him. And for sure, some fixtures, that approach won’t wash. If the opposition are heavily focused on physical denial of space and movement, then Ozil can get swallowed up and ultimately hide. There are a lot of days when it seems obvious he doesn’t fancy it. No relisher of a battle, he.
Still, the flashes of brilliance we saw for a brief period last night should be enjoyed and savoured, because the player is very unlikely to be here next season. The club is on the edge of, finally, evolving into the post-Wenger era, with the recent appointments to take over the scouting and transfer negotiations. That’s a piece for another day, but the two new signings are probably, in the long term, far more significant than those of Ozil and Sanchez.
So we do our best to enjoy this campaign, knowing the club are in a kind of limbo. The superstars were bought, they hung around for four or five seasons, won some FA Cups, and ultimately realized that they wanted more. So it goes. New stars will always emerge, and with the Dortmund scout, they needn’t cost the earth.
It feels like we don’t get too many 5-0 matches these days, outside of the FA Cup, so it was nice to see the goals flow in, completed by Giroud near the end. Ian Tanner has asked me to mention that Arsenal have won 12 consecutive Premier League home matches. 13 on Saturday would be record. Remember when Arsenal v Manchester United really used to mean something? Hopefully, that day might come again before too long.
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