Reasons Why Mesut Ozil Is the Man Who Will Spark Arsenal Back to Life

It's a bit jarring to think that Arsenal have played most of the season without Mesut Ozil.

The £42.5 million man and centerpiece of Arsene Wenger's side has been out since he banjaxed his knee against Chelsea on October 5. That's two months and 11 days ago, a stretch that has seen Arsenal play many of the most important games of the campaign.

Ozil has missed Arsenal's nadirs against Anderlecht and Manchester United, as well as the club's recent resurgence. The Gunners' attack has sometimes looked utterly stagnant but has shown signs of returning to its usual fluidity.

Yet, Ozil is not the only Arsenal player who has been missing during the last couple of months.

Theo Walcott has been absent for almost that entire stretch, with just a couple of appearances to his name before he hurt his groin on England duty.

Mikel Arteta has also come in and out of the team with a recurring calf problem that he cannot seem to shake, as it has prevented him from playing more than a couple of games at a time.

And then, there's poor Serge Gnabry, whose status has not been updated on Arsenal.com for over a month.

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The one constant, however, has been Ozil. The German was out for a couple periods last season, but Wenger's insistence on starting him in almost every game for which he has been fit has made him a fixture in the team. Arsenal fans are very much used to him now.

They were not, however, used to Ozil on the left wing when Wenger strangely deployed him there at the beginning of the season. Given Ozil's awful performances on the flank, it might seem odd to claim that Ozil can bring Arsenal's attack back to life.

However, circumstances seem to be aligning such that Wenger will be prevented from shunting one of his best players to the wing when he comes back.

Assuming that the official timetable is correct and Ozil will be back for the new year, he will find a considerably different team.

Theo Walcott and Mikel Arteta will be back, and Aaron Ramsey will be out but on the verge of return. Assuming he can keep up his current level of play, Santi Cazorla will be in excellent form, and Arsenal will not be entirely dependent on Alexis Sanchez.

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These are assumptions, of course, but taking into account Arsenal's recent uptick in form over their past few games, they are not so specious.

Essentially, they mean two things: Ozil will naturally slot right back into attacking midfield where be belongs, and he will have more talent ahead of him than he has ever had during his time in London.

Walcott and Alexis bring loads of pace, an ability perfectly suited to Ozil's knack for threading inch-perfect passes but that he has consistently lacked at Arsenal.

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Much of his success at Real Madrid was down to Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria's ability to latch onto searching through balls and slot the ball into the back of the net. While Arsenal obviously do not have a player as good as Ronaldo, Alexis, with his strength and technique, is sort of like a light version.

Wenger has tried on many occasions this season to play Ramsey and Jack Wilshere in the same team, but Wilshere will be injured for several weeks after Ozil returns, so a spot in midfield will be wide open.

The manager also has much more tactical flexibility with his lineup now that Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck are both fit. Incredible as it sounds, Arsenal now have two strikers.

If they are both in the same starting XI, Ozil will still be able to play them in on the ground but will also be encouraged to whip free-kicks, corners and the occasional cross into the box for one of them to thump into the back of the net.

In short, Ozil's return gives Arsenal tons of options—many of which they have never had before. It is difficult to project a month or so into the future, but it is very easy to see Wenger facing difficult selection dilemmas.

Regardless of whom he chooses to start, Ozil will almost certainly be in the lineup, and he will have options ahead of and beside him that he has not yet had during his Arsenal career.

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