3 things we learned from Arsenal’s 5th consecutive Premier League victory

#1 Ramsey and Ozil can’t work together

Can the duo work well together?

Unai Emery again started Ozil on the right with Ramsey deployed in the No.10 role. Ramsey was ineffective throughout his tenure on the pitch and was deservedly replaced by Iwobi.

Ozil, on the other hand, enjoyed a similarly anonymous outing for the opening hour. Ozil though was much more fortunate to have stayed on the pitch. After the introduction of Iwobi, Ozil was a man reborn and he grabbed himself a goal after a sweeping Gunners move. The final half an hour again signalled that the duo of Ramsey and Ozil could not start in the same eleven in Emery’s current system.

Ramsey has made a living by making runs from deep and catching the opposition off guard. However, with Emery’s full-backs playing high up the pitch, Ramsey can’t be trusted to be one of the holding midfielders. The other downside to both of them playing is the fact that Ozil is shunted out wide.

Ozil’s defensive work has never been his biggest asset and hence asking him to suddenly track the opposition full-backs asks a lot of him. Thus, the best possible solution would be to play Ozil in the No.10 role.

With Ozil playing as a No.10, a case could be made for Ramsey playing on the right. However, Ramsey has played his entire career centrally and his tendency to drift inside will leave the attacking trident awfully imbalanced.

While the duo is superb technically, the pair’s defensive contributions and lack of versatility make the decision to play them together highly difficult. The sooner Emery can address the issue, the quicker he will have the team playing to its full potential.