Arsene Wenger Needs More from Arsenal's Top Playmakers

Arsenal fans should forget about who's playing striker; improvement will only come when manager Arsene Wenger gets better performances from his team's top playmakers.

The trio under scrutiny shouldn't be Yaya Sanogo, Lukas Podolski and new boy Danny Welbeck. Instead, the focus should be firmly on Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey.

Of that creative-minded trio, only Ramsey can claim to have delivered on occasion this season. After all, he has netted goals in two of the club's three Premier League games.

But as for Ozil and Cazorla, the results have been mixed to say the least. The effect of their indifferent form was cruelly illustrated during the recent 1-1 away draw with Leicester City.

That was a game in which Arsenal netted a solitary goal despite having 24 shots and 54.5 percent possession, per Sky Sports. The main reason the Gunners didn't do more with what they had was the wastefulness of Ozil, Cazorla and Ramsey.

The former pair couldn't exert a strong enough influence on proceedings. In particular, Ozil struggled to add the incisive passes Arsenal need to turn steady possession into scoring chances.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

It was also a problem that he and Cazorla regularly found themselves occupying the same areas as if both were still vying to be Wenger's conductor of choice.

That's a familiar foible and one that ought to have been resolved by now. While Ozil and Cazorla didn't muster enough craft, Ramsey couldn't produce the end product that has come to define his game.

To put it mildly, his aim was more than a little off when it came to taking shots at goal. He had several misses, most notably a second-half header after a very clever run.

But this problem isn't just unique to the draw at Leicester. Arsenal haven't been getting enough from their main playmakers since the start of the season.

That's why the team has scored a mere six goals in five matches in all competitions. Consider the fact that title rivals Chelsea have managed 11 goals in three league games, while Liverpool have bettered Arsenal's tally in three matches, and Manchester City have equalled it.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Directly related to the problems scoring has been the stunted quality of most of Arsenal's attacking football. That's because the team's best ballplayers are all still struggling for top form.

Their struggles are a major problem for Wenger, whose current squad is imbalanced because of the high number of central schemers in the ranks. That's why Wenger has relied on tactical structures like 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-4-1 as a way of getting all his playmakers on the field together.

In this context, the Gunners can't afford many off days from their main pass-masters. Having a trio like Ozil, Ramsey and Cazorla to dictate possession means a poor performance from one may not be fatal, with two others to pick up the slack.

But if even two of the three are struggling, Arsenal are in trouble. If all three fail to produce, as they did at Leicester, this team won't win.

Wenger has to get more from Cazorla, who hasn't seemed himself since the season started. But it's Ozil who should worry the manager most.

Uncredited/Associated Press

The excuses are mounting to try and explain why the club's record signing consistently doesn't produce to his obvious talent level. Last season, the steep learning period adapting to the pace and physicality of the Premier League was the narrative to explain a stop-start campaign for Ozil.

Now it's a hangover from Germany's efforts winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup or the fact he's playing on the left to start his second season with Arsenal. On that note, Ozil recently made his preference clear, per Henry Winter of The Telegraph:

"

I know what I can do and in the past few years I’ve shown that I belong to the select group of best players in the world as a No 10. What’s important is that the manager gives me his trust and in Joachim Löw and Arsene Wenger I have two managers who do exactly that. Both coaches know that my favourite position is the No  10. I’ve played on the left in a World Cup and for Arsenal but my best performances come as a 10.

"

Whatever the reason, the excuses are wearing thin. Ozil has to be a key figure this season. He must be the Dennis Bergkamp-type quarterback who will release runners such as Ramsey, Welbeck Alexis Sanchez and eventually Theo Walcott behind defences.

Sadly, Wenger may have to wait a little longer still before he sees the best of Ozil. The ankle injury he suffered at Leicester could keep him out of Arsenal's home clash with reigning league champions Manchester City, per the Daily Mail (h/t Metro reporter Vaishali Bhardwaj).

Michael Regan/Getty Images

If Ozil is missing, the onus will go back to Cazorla and Ramsey. But it's unreasonable to expect Ramsey to be automatic every game. He's done enough since the start of last season to be excused a rare bad day at the office provided it stays a rare occurrence.

What Wenger really needs is for Cazorla and Ozil to step up their respective games and fast.

Too much attention is often paid to what Arsenal do defensively and whether they are tactically equipped (read conservative) enough to stifle an opponent.

But this is a team and a manager who will always be defined by what they do going forward. Without substantial improvement from Wenger's best playmakers, it won't matter who plays striker; Arsenal will continue to labour through this season.