The fact that Arsenal had some sort of first refusal clause with Cesc Fabregas and that Arsene Wenger decided not to utilise it this summer was always going to be a bone of contention with us Arsenal fans. And the fact that our former captain then went on to play for our least favourite manager Jose Mourinho at one of our least favourite clubs and direct rivals for the Premier League, Chelsea, only made it worse.
It might have been alright if Fabregas had gone to Stamford Bridge and flopped, but that was never likely and the Spaniard has actually turned them from a solid but uninspiring team into one that looks favourite to win the Premier League title. And the questions will only get louder as long as our own playmaker Mesut Ozil continues to frustrate the fans by not really having the influence that we thought £42.5 million would get us.
And it was the fact we already had the German that was the reason for Arsene Wenger passing up the opportunity to bring Fabregas back to north London, so the big game on Sunday would be an ideal time for Ozil to defy his growing bunch of critics and show that the Prof was right to sign him and subsequently snub Cesc, but can he pull a rabbit out of the hat for us?
I hope so, of course, and the new understanding between him and Danny Welbeck certainly makes it more likely. With the new pace and movement up front suiting Ozil’s eye for a pass more than Olivier Giroud did, Mourinho will be wary of his former Real Madrid player, but he also knows that a bit of rough stuff and close attention could well take Ozil out of the game. Wenger could well say the same for Cesc but we don’t really have the players to mark him out of the game.
I have got a horrible feeling that Maureen and our former captain will be the ones left smiling on Sunday and Wenger with egg on his face. What do you think Gooners?