Why Mesut Ozil can inspire Arsenal to the title next season
by Ray Hobbs
It would be fair to say that things haven’t quite gone as planned for Arsenal this season. The Gunners are slipping out of contention for the Premier League title, have been knocked out of both the FA Cup and Capital One Cup and are on the verge of elimination in the Champions League. If nothing else, it’s been a disappointing campaign for Arsenal considering the hype over their chances of silverware throughout the season.
One bright spark has been Mesut Ozil, who remains on the cusp of breaking Thierry Henry’s club record for most assists in a single Premier League season. The Germany international has been nothing short of sublime all year and if anybody deserves a title winners medal, it’s him.
Ozil will be a key member of Germany’s Euro 2016 squad this summer and is likely to play a crucial role as they hunt a third European Championship success. At the time of writing, Germany are priced at 100/30 to win the tournament in Betway’s Euro 2016 betting markets and considering their vast array of talent, it might be wise to get the whole office betting on it.
If Joachim Loew’s men are going to add to their 2014 World Cup triumph this summer, the likes of Ozil and Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker will be crucial to their aspirations. If the two Arsenal stars perform at their best, Germany will stand a good chance of winning yet another major international tournament.
While Arsenal remain in this year’s title race, it might be wise for the Gunners to begin looking ahead to the 2016-17 campaign. If nothing else, Arsene Wenger’s men have slipped out of contention after the Arsenal boss failed to invest heavily last summer.
In fact, most fans believe that he should step down at the end of the season. If Wenger does leave the club, Arsenal will pursue a world class striker to lead the attack as Olivier Giroud simply isn’t good enough to orchestrate a title challenge.
Ozil will remain fully focused on helping Arsenal to finish as high as possible this season, especially as he will want to impress Loew ahead of this summer’s international tournament. The Gunners, currently priced at 11/2 with Betway to win the Premier League title, will be hoping that Ozil shines at Euro 2016 but avoids any serious injury issues and is allowed to rest up following the tournament’s conclusion on July 10th.
After the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Copa America competitions, both Ozil and Alexis Sanchez were forced to miss the start of the domestic campaigns – something that title-hunting Arsenal can ill-afford. The Gunners might not win the Premier League this season but next season, it could well be their year and Ozil will be integral to their title aspirations.
