Mesut Ozil Might Not Even Get in the Arsenal Team When He Returns from Injury

Not much is going right for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger at the moment. The Gunners have been listless for most of the season and currently sit in sixth place, 12 points behind leaders Chelsea after just 11 games.

Their title challenge is essentially over before the end of November, with less than a third of the season gone.

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While the form of Alexis Sanchez has provided one bright spot, his predecessor as Arsenal's big hope-creating signing has shown less form. Mesut Ozil continues to struggle, more than a year after arriving at Arsenal for £42.5 million last summer.

The German struggled to convince many that he was worth the fuss and money last season, but at times this term he has barely justified a place in the Arsenal team, never mind a club-record fee.

Ozil has been listless, uninspired and basically a passenger in many games, so his absence with a knee injury would perhaps, in theory, not be the greatest tragedy in the world for Wenger.

Nevertheless, such is the consistency and depressing (for them) predictability of Arsenal's injury woes, any absence is a problem for them.

And Wenger has an explanation for Ozil's struggles this season. He told beIN Sports, as quoted by the London Evening Standard:

"

I think, at Real, he played in a very strong team, and he had a very good season with us last year.

But he had the World Cup and came back tired. We will see the best Ozil when he returns.

"

Ozil could become a classic case of a player's reputation growing in his absence. It would be hugely unfair to lay the blame for Arsenal's relative struggles purely at Ozil's doorstep, so one would assume they will continue this run of form while he is not in the team.

Indeed, Ozil suffered the injury that is due to keep him out until the new year in their defeat to Chelsea, and since then Arsenal have drawn disappointingly with Hull City, surrendered a three-goal lead in the Champions League against Anderlecht and lost at Swansea City.

Ozil was not the only problem in the Arsenal side, but whenever players of his calibre are out of the team, it becomes all too tempting to think that everything will be OK when they return. Ozil's form this term suggest that will not be the case, so it would be dangerous for Wenger to place too much faith in the German.

Indeed, one wonders where Ozil will even fit in the side when he does return. Sanchez has been excellent since moving into the middle of Wenger's traditional attacking trio behind a main striker, and the Gunners' boss should be given credit for making that tactical change. There seems little prospect of Ozil displacing the Chilean whirlwind there.

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Ozil has played much of his football on the flank this season, which seems to be something of a waste for a hugely talented player. Despite Sanchez's success and excellent form, it seems pointless having a player like Ozil if you aren't going to put him in his best position.

Indeed, Arsenal have a number of other options on the wings, and at least a couple of them are much better in those positions than Ozil. Theo Walcott is making his way back to fitness, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been in good form of late while Santi Cazorla always provides craft and thrust. Then there's Lukas Podolski and even the youngster Serge Gnabry who, like Walcott, is returning from a long-term injury.

When put in those terms, it becomes difficult to put a convincing case forward that Ozil should even be in the Arsenal side, never mind as the man who will solve their problems when he returns.