The loss of the Arsenal and Czech Republic midfield star Tomas Rosicky to yet another long term injury lay-off might not be seen by too many Arsenal fans as a real disaster. After all the 35-year old had not been available for the rest of the season so why should his absence be such a problem now?
Well one reason is that he was one of the few decent options available to Arsene Wenger to cover the number 10 spot if for some reason the main man Mesut Ozil is not playing. That got me thinking about how Arsenal would cope without the German play maker and the answer I came up with was, not very well at all.
Without Ozil and without him being in sizzling form, this season would already be over for the Gunners, in terms of winning the Premier League at least. We would probably be out of the Champions League as well. So keeping Ozil fit and in form is absolutely key to our title hopes and that is why the manager has taken every opportunity to give him an occasional rest.
Without Rosicky, however, and with every game now taking on more importance, I can see Wenger relying on the creative talents of our top attacking midfielder more and more. If Ozil stands up to what we are asking of him then Arsenal have a chance. If not, what odds would you give on Arsenal finishing top?