Despite ending the well publicised 9-year drought without a trophy with victory in an epic FA Cup Final against Hull, Arsenal will look back on the 2013/2014 season and wonder what could have been. Breaking their transfer record to sign Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for £42.5 million was a masterstroke from Arsene Wenger, with the German star illustrating the qualities that put him top of the assists charts for three consecutive years in La Liga. Ozil was instrumental in Arsenal’s wonderful surge at the summit of the Premier League, but their stranglehold on the title diminished as results and performances began to wane. The period between February and March destroyed Arsenal’s chances of winning the league, but they have a player in Ozil who has the ability to become one of the best players in the club’s history. Gunners fans will no doubt keep track of Ozil’s progress with Germany at the World Cup, with Joachim Low’s side expected to be strong contenders to be victorious in Brazil 2014.
Ozil at Arsenal
It is fair to say that Mesut Ozil’s first season as a Gunner has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride for the German star. Ozil was brought to the club for his creative abilities which made an instant impact in Arsenal’s midfield, with his wonderful left foot instrumental in creating many chances and further improving Arsenal’s attacking threat. Excellent set-pieces and an unerring ability to pick out a killer pass were prominent during Arsenal’s surge up the table, while Ozil also chipped in with invaluable goals himself with consecutive braces against Hull and Everton making him the match-winning difference Gunners fans have been crying out for.
A fine start to his Arsenal career was unfortunately tainted by a considerable drop in form and confidence between February and March when Arsenal’s season began to unravel. Ozil failed to hit the same heights as he struggled to impose himself on games, with critics stating that the Germany midfielder has a tendency to go missing. It was a difficult period for Ozil who was still adapting to the rigours of the Premier League, but showed great character in returning to form in the latter stages of the season. A match-winning performance against Newcastle at the Emirates symbolised that Ozil was back to his best – a fact that will be music to Joachim Low’s ears as he prepares his Germany squad for a shot at potential glory at the 2014 World Cup.
Germany at the World Cup
Germany are backed as Europe’s greatest hope of wrestling the World Cup away from the strong favourites of Brazil and Argentina, with odds of 6/1 reflecting their formidable strength and reputation for performing when it matters in the major international tournaments. They will need to be at their best from the start, as they form a part of the ‘Group of Death’ alongside Portugal, Ghana and the USA in what promises to be a group packed with high quality football and drama that could go down to the very last game. Germany stand as good a chance as any nation of winning the World Cup this summer, with Ozil backed to lead from the front in the scoring charts at an excellent outside value of 80/1.