Why Arsenal Must Be Bold and Build Attack Around Mesut Ozil in 2015/16 Season

With the season now over, Arsene Wenger will soon be taking the time to sit down with his coaching staff and begin to formulate plans for 2015/16. With a Wembley final hovering perennially on the horizon, Wenger will have been understandably loath to countenance the next campaign before the conclusion of the current one. However, with the cup now safely restored to the Emirates cabinet, he can begin to make key decisions for next season. The first and most important should be to build his attack around Mesut Ozil.

Six months ago, Ozil's Arsenal future was in considerable doubt. He looked disillusioned and lost, seemingly pining for the sunnier climes of Real Madrid. However, the turnaround since then has been dramatic. When he returned from a 12-week absence through injury in January, Ozil was a player transformed. His head seemed more focused and his playing style more physical. Ozil looked like a player determined not to admit defeat in English football.

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Wenger responded to Ozil's progress by restoring him to his preferred role in the team. The German had begun the domestic season as he spent the vast majority of the World Cup: playing on the left wing. He looked uncomfortable and unconvinced by his new position. Since returning to the centre, he's seemed much more at home. 

Centre stage is where Ozil belongs. Although he wears the no. 11, he's a true No. 10. Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho admitted as much to Marca when Ozil moved to north London:

"

Özil is unique. There is no copy of him - not even a bad one. He is the best number 10 in the world.

Everyone loves him and sees a bit of Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane in him. He made things very easy for me and for his teammates with his football vision and the decisions he made. 

"

Ozil’s ingenious decision-making can now help Wenger. He’s Arsenal's record signing and their most gifted playmaker. The time has come for Wenger to truly fashion a side around his remarkable talents.

The indications are that the process has already begun. The team is set up in such a way that Ozil has license to drift wheresoever he pleases. The presence of Francis Coquelin in the XI guarantees there is someone to plug any gaps behind him, while Santi Cazorla's first pass is usually aimed towards the graceful German. The foundations are in place for Ozil to shine. 

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Ozil is not alone in wanting to play as Arsenal's central attacking midfielder. However, he's comfortably the most convincing candidate. Cazorla has shown that he's actually better playing from deep, where his ambidextrous dribbling allows him to slalom through the midfield mire. Jack Wilshere sports the No. 10 on his back but is yet to put together a consistent enough run to seriously challenge Ozil. As for Aaron Ramsey, versatility is the Welshman's enemy: Unlike Ozil, he seems relatively comfortable on the flank.

When it comes down to it, none of those players can match Ozil's ability to pick a pass. He has the vision to see things others can't, and he couples that with the technical excellence required to make those creative ideas manifest. A great example is Ozil's assist for Alexis Sanchez in the FA Cup semi-final with Reading. His clipped ball bisected the Reading back line, taking eight defenders out of the game in the process. Few players could have spotted that pass; even fewer could have executed it.

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Ozil's blossoming partnership with Alexis is another reason to keep him as the heartbeat of the team. With each passing game, the understanding between the pair of marquee signings appears to grow. Alexis is Arsenal's most effective finisher, so it makes sense to build the team around the man most likely to pick him out with a telling pass. With Ozil as the team’s principal provider, Alexis should continue to flourish. 

Then we come to the sticky question of what changes need to be made to the team to ensure Ozil has the best platform to succeed. Defensively, he is relatively free of responsibility as a No. 10, so that's not an issue. However, going forward, Arsene Wenger may have cause to consider what sort of striker is best-suited to playing ahead of his midfield magician.

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In Arsenal's final two games of the 2014/15 season, Wenger left Olivier Giroud on the bench, instead choosing to start with Theo Walcott as a central striker. The decision was largely informed by the form of both players, but Wenger must also have noticed the invigorating effect Walcott's presence had on Ozil in the game against West Brom. Ozil comes to life when he has rapid roving targets for his probing passes. Although Giroud is capable of exemplary hold-up play, he lacks the pace to offer a threat in-behind. 

Fielding both Alexis and Walcott means Ozil has options. When he picks up the ball, he can be certain that two players with searing speed and intelligent movement will spring out of the blocks. For the opposition, those zig-zagging runs are a nightmare. For Ozil, they're a dream.

In 2015/16, Ozil ought to be the key figure in Arsenal's attacking play. To complement his creative skills, Wenger may need to play regularly with a speedy centre-forward in the Walcott mould.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.