With two tough games in just a few days, it was always likely that Arsene Wenger would rotate his Arsenal squad a little. But the Frenchman would also want to play his best starting XI against Man City and Borussia Dortmund, as both games could end up having a huge impact on the Gunners’ season.
So the fact that both Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey put in below par performances against the Premier League champions at the Emirates stadium today has made the Frenchman’s job on Tuesday a lot easier. I am surprised he even risked Rambo today to be honest and he must surely play Man of the Match Jack Wilshere in the box-to box role in Germany, with the Welshman on the bench.
Look, I am not getting on Ramsey’s back and I have always backed him, even in the dark days. It is just that he is 10 percent off and that seems to be making him try too hard. Form is temporary and Aaron will find it sooner rather than later.
Ozil is another matter. I have always backed the German, but to call his performance today frustrating is a massive understatement. He still has an eye for a pass and helps our play to be fluent and fast, especially going forwards, but his defensive duties are non existent and his final ball today was abysmal. I lost count of how many times he made the wrong decision or messed up his pass and as for his shooting, well best not to mention it.
Arsenal have options, with Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky more than capable of playing the number 10 role and plenty of players like the Ox, Podolski and Campbell to cover the wide positions. So do yourself a favour Arsene, drop these two in Dortmund and give the other Gunners a chance.