Mesut Ozil Adds to Arsenal’s Injury Crisis
By Sam Hader
@SamHader21
Getty Images
Arsenal has struggled in the past month with many injuries, but their most crucial one has just arrived: It is confirmed that Mesut Ozil has a partial lateral collateral ligament tear in his left knee, as reported by the German Football Federation.
Ozil played all 90 minutes in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat against Chelsea, and as the international break ushered him to Munich to join his national side, he was already complaining about knee pain. He officially received his MRI with the DFB, which is surprising as Arsenal’s medical staff should’ve detected this after the match.
Instead, they took Ozil’s worry into account and advised the DFB to run tests themselves. One must question the medical staff’s ability, or Arsenal’s dumb luck with their injury list becoming more expansive.
The Gunners’ injury total is now eight. This list includes Ozil, Mathieu Debuchy, Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott, Yaya Sanogo and Serge Gnabry. The good thing is Ramsey, a major player in the Arsenal midfield, as well as Walcott will be back in a month or so. On the flip side, equally important players such as Ozil and Giroud will be out for close to three months.
It’s also a shame for the German National Team, which is without Borussia Dortmund catalyst Marco Reus along with Ozil. That said, the recent World Cup winners have plenty of depth to make another formidable squad, nevermind filling the gaps left.
The real problem at hand is with the Gunners, who have important Champions League and Premier League games coming quickly. Without their €50 million man alongside countless other marquee players, Arsenal looks doomed in both competitions. They’ll be lucky to finish second in their Champions League group, but even so they’ll be crushed by their next opponent in the knockout stages.
Also, expect a drop from Arsenal’s eighth-place standing in the Premier League, and to finish well outside the top-five for the coming months.
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