Arsenal Find Balance, Ozil Enjoys Himself

Arsene Wenger firmly defended record signing Mesut Ozil in his pre-match press conference yesterday.  The Arsenal manager, along with the always-loyal contingent of Ozil fanatics, stuck by the German through his extensive dip in form, a shred of loyalty which paid off today at Villa Park. 

The obvious and correct assumption to make about Ozil’s excellent performance today is that playing him centrally makes all the difference.  Starting underneath Danny Welbeck, Ozil’s license to roam the pitch was returned to him.  

In recent matches, Ozil would start on the wing and still drift into the middle of the park, but starting him here makes a huge difference.  

This way, Ozil was able to pick up the ball in the middle with 360 degrees of options with which to choose from as opposed to being bogged down on one of the touchlines.  His movement off the ball was fantastic as well, maintaining a certain level of fluidity with his playmaking mate Cazorla.  

Early on, it was evident Ozil was enjoying himself.  His first touch was astronomically more confident than it has been since the start of the season, and a side that lacked Arsenal's two best players from last weeks 2-2 draw benefited as a result.   

However, the positional shift is just part of the reason why Ozil enjoyed such a fruitful afternoon.  Without Alexis and Jack Wilshere in the side, more space was allocated in the middle for the German, and as a result there was much less congestion in the area of the pitch he is most dangerous in. 

Wilshere had been arguably the best Gunner in the past two fixtures, but he can’t play every game, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Aaron Ramsey on the bench next time out for Arsenal.  He needs a rest, and his dip in form has reached a boiling point.  

Similarly, Alexis’ exclusion was also necessary, as the Chilean has been tireless in his recent performances which have yielded three goals in four games.  Santi Cazorla deserved his start today, as did Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who has been a spark plug in each of his substitute appearances for Arsenal.    

Without a doubt though, the confidence Arsene Wenger instills in his players was on full display today.  Ozil, so often criticized both fairly and unfairly in his Arsenal tenure, has always had the support of his manager.  

Patrick Vieira, captain of the Invincibles side from 2003-2004, claims that the French manager’s biggest strength is the trust he has in his players.  Through thick and thin, Wenger has trusted Ozil and made sure he keeps the billing as Arsenal’s biggest and most important signing.  

Wenger could have subbed the German later on, but opted to leave Ozil on the field; he was simply enjoying himself too much to be taken off.  

Going into the match, Aston Villa were lauded for their early-season form, but Arsenal had other ideas.  Playing Ozil underneath the striker had a lot of to with it, but the balance that Arsene Wenger found in his side was phenomenal.  

Today Arsenal featured a side without one player playing out of position; something we’re not very accustomed to seeing.  It isn’t necessarily about getting all of the best players on the field at once, it’s about getting the right ones, something Arsene Wenger nailed in today’s statement win on the road.  

Arsenal Face a Familiar Foe

Some rivalries live forever.  There are those which fizzle out and are forgotten, and some so ridiculous that not even those involved ever reconcile.  Then there’s the rivalry between Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane. 

Arsenal face a familiar face on Saturday when they travel to Villa Park to take on Paul Lambert’s red-hot Aston Villa side.  The two clubs don’t necessarily have a heated rivalry, but one of the men on the Villa touchline has quite a history with the North London club.

For nine intense years, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira gave fans some of the most intense matches to date.  The two captains simply hated each other and had a hateful playing relationship to put it lightly.  The Battle of Old Trafford amidst Arsenal’s unbeaten 2003/2004 season comes to mind, as does the famous tunnel incident that took place before the opening whistle had even blown. 

It’s in Gooners’ blood to hate Keane, and it’s in Red Devils’ to hate Vieira.  There isn’t a personal rivalry in the league today that even sniffs at the feuds between these two giants of the past.  For Keane though, his new position as assistant manager at Aston Villa gives him a chance to exact some more pain on Arsenal. 

Defender Alan Hutton recently hailed the influence Keane has had on the squad, citing the former Manchester United man’s motivational skills and belief he holds in his players.  Similar to how Steve Bould has transformed the Arsenal back line in the last few years, Keane has added an extra bite to a side who feeds off positive energy and momentum. 

Fabian Delph is the poster-child for the club right now, as he recently won his first caps with England.  Delph’s call-up is indicative of the work the entire club has put in.  His inclusion in Roy Hodgson’s squad for Euro qualifiers gives hope to Tom Cleverley, whose once promising career spiraled and spiraled downward until he was promptly loaned to Villa on deadline day. 

Always lacking confidence with United, it will come as no surprise to see Cleverley reinvent himself under the tutelage of Lambert and Keane.  Often the scapegoat to supporters, the Englishman was never going to succeed at a club whose supporters want absolutely nothing to do with him.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Cleverley saw limited playing time in his favored position, and as a result his form and confidence were shot.  Keane, who less then a year ago called Ferguson ‘egotistical,’ will instill the same rebellious and fiery approach in Cleverley that he abided to in his playing days. 

Last December, Keane and Vieira together reconciled and re-lived all the epic battles in which they were involved.  In essence, this rivalry embodies the perfect personal rivalry in sports; two men who hate each other on the field, but one day have the respect and intelligence to acknowledge his counterpart’s passion and ability.

The Frenchman now manages the reserve squad at Manchester City, while the Irishman no longer associates himself with Manchester United.  The intensity of these two men’s rivalry will likely never be replicated in today’s more harshly policed style of play, but on Saturday expect every bit of Roy Keane’s hatred for Arsenal and passion to be injected into a hungry Aston Villa side.

Power Rankings Going into Week Two

1-  Chelsea: The additions of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa have given the Blues an immediate boost.  More is yet to come from this squad who has yet to solidify why will start from a deep pool of players.

2-  Manchester City: Manchester City were my favorites to win the title two weeks ago, but Chelsea’s ruthless span of football and solidarity in the second half put them ahead of a City side which allowed a great deal of pressure from Newcastle.

3-  Liverpool: More is also yet to come from this squad who have yet to feature Mario Balotelli, Lazar Markovic, Alberto Moreno and Emre Can.  Expect minor changes to the squad as they look to reek havoc at the Etihad Stadium on Monday.

4-  Arsenal: Sluggish at times, but the return of Mesut Ozil will galvanize the Arsenal attack.  Alexis is still settling in, as are the players returning from World Cup layoffs.  Still in need of a couple more players before the window closes.  Everton will be eager for a result following their draw with Leicester, but it would be a massive result away from home for Arsenal if they were to win. 

5-  Tottenham: Is there the start of a new revolution at Spurs?  Eric Dier’s winner off of Harry Kane’s sublime pass could be symbolic of improvements in North Londoners.  Spurs play host to QPR on Sunday, who will be chomping at the bit to erase the home defeat to Hull City at Loftus Road.  

6-  Southampton: Tadic and Bertrand formed an exceptional partnership down the left, and Schneiderlin logged an impressive display in an opening loss at Anfield.  Another hard fixture awaits as West Brom visit Saint. Mary’s.

7-  Swansea: Soaked up pressure for much of the day but capitalized on two scoring chances.  Dealt Manchester United an opening blow in the league and should pick up all three points when they play host to Burnley this weekend.  

8-  Manchester United: Highlight of the match for me was watching Louis Van Gaal graciously sign those kids’ match day programs.  Reinforcements are on the way but a stern test away to a hungry Sunderland side awaits.  Marcos Rojo has been ruled ineligible for Saturday's clash, further complicating the situation for the Red Devils. 

9-  Everton: The loss of Ross Barkley shook the Merseyside club in the days leading up to Saturday, but Roberto Martinez is more than capable of turning things around.  They will be tested as they were against Leicester City when Arsenal come to town on Saturday.  

10-  Hull City: An opening win at Loftus Road saw the Tigers emulating manager Steve Bruce’s fiery approach he displayed as captain for Manchester United decades ago.

11-  Aston Villa: Winning at the Brittania Stadium against Stoke City is much harder than it sounds, and things are looking up for Aston Villa who just added Colombian Carlos Sanchez.  Sanchez, nicknamed ‘the rock,’ could feature right away against visitors Newcastle who showed promise in week one.

12-  Sunderland: Gus Poyet’s men delivered a hard-fought point at the Hawthorns as they look forward to hosing Louis Van Gaal and Manchester United at the weekend.  Coming off their season-defining win against the Red Devils last Spring, the Black Cats will be hungrier for more in week two.  

13-  Crystal Palace: Deserved a point against Arsenal in a game which saw Jason Puncheon sent off late and a stoppage-time winner from the impressive Aaron Ramsey.  Similarly, West Ham were unlucky in week one and should make up for an exciting affair.

14-  Newcastle: Fought valiantly against Manchester City and were unfortunate not to have grabbed equalizer.  Sergio Aguero’s late goal sealed a cruel fate for the Magpies who look to turn the tables on hosts Aston Villa.

15-  Leicester City: Everton were in for a long day when they played hosts Leicester City, who showed fight and spirit which culminated in a 2-2 draw.  It doesn’t get any easier in week two which sees them travel to Stamford Bridge for Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas’ home debuts.

16-  West Brom: Saido Berahino was one of the stars of week one for a West Brom team which looked unusually weak in defense.  Sunderland really brought it in week one, and now the Baggies must head south where the resilient Saints await.

17-  West Ham: One could argue Sam Allardyce should have put on an extra striker a man up.  Maybe, maybe not, but Big Sam wasn’t happy to see his outstanding defense let Eric Dier slip through for the winner at the death.  West Ham are in for another fight when they play a spirited Crystal Palace side. 

18-  Burnley: Showed spirit against Chelsea, both in the opening sequence and parts of the second half.  A rough draw in week 1 sees them travel to Swansea as underdogs to an impressive side who won at Old Trafford on Saturday.

19-  Stoke City: Losing at home to Aston Villa won’t sit well with Mark Hughes and his men.  They go into a difficult matchup with Hull City, but expect a fight from the strong and resilient Potters.

20-  Queens Park Rangers: Harry Redknapp is back.  Awesome.  In other news, Loic Remy has re-joined his parent club which lost to Hull City 0-1 at home last weekend.  QPR must now march into White Hart Lane for Tottenham’s home opener and hope they can come away with a point.