With Arsenal certain to finish in the Premier League top four once again, it would suggest yet another successful season under the guidance of Arsene Wenger. The basic facts do not come close to telling the story of the Gunners’ 2013/2014 campaign which could so easily have been better, but also threatened to spiral out of control and result in missing out on Champions League football altogether.
An FA Cup final against Hull City may end Arsenal’s nine year trophy drought, but they blew a wonderful opportunity to win the Premier League title as they let their dominance lasting over five months at the summit slip away. A major factor behind the Arsenal juggernaut heading towards domestic glory was the instant impact made by Mesut Ozil who started life as a Gunner on fire. It would be fair to say that the German star’s season was, on the whole, packed with high and low points, but his form in recent weeks may be enough to keep him in Joachim Low’s thoughts for the 2014 World Cup this summer in Brazil. Germany are widely considered as Europe’s greatest hope of winning the World Cup on South American soil, with odds of 11/2 placing Germany among the favourites to win the tournament.

First season in an Arsenal shirt

Although Arsene Wenger has been heavily criticised in recent years for his seeming reluctance to sign new players, particularly a striker which has arguably cost the Gunners this season, bringing Mesut Ozil on transfer deadline day of last summer’s window took everyone by surprise. It was widely expected that the German international would remain a Real Madrid player for several years, but as news broke that he had lost faith with Carlo Ancelotti and the club’s hierarchy, Arsenal immediately swooped in with a £42.5 million deal that not only made Ozil the most expensive German player in history, but also smashed Arsenal’s club-record fee. The signing was valued as a huge coup for Arsenal who had acquired one of the best creative midfielders in the world, with Ozil topping the assists charts in every season of his three year spell in La Liga.

Taking just 11 minutes to register his first assist for Arsenal was a true indication of things to come from Ozil who took to life in the Premier League like a duck to water. Ozil displayed all the technical and creative qualities that have made him one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, with a wand of a left foot used to devastating effect in the first half of the season as he was instrumental in everything good about Arsenal. Consecutive braces against Hull and Everton illustrated Ozil’s quality early into his Arsenal career, and had registered ten assists to continue the trend in his game to create chances and see a pass that not many others can.

The beginning of February signalled a period of difficult for the German international who failed to reproduce the quality of performance expected of him by Arsene Wenger and the fans, Missing a crucial penalty against Bayern Munich in the Champions League summed up a low period in Ozil’s season, with criticism suggesting that, although blessed with natural talent and of the quality to deserve being short-listed for the 2013 FIFA Ballon D’Or award, the midfielder has a tendency to go missing in games. A hamstring injury in Arsenal’s Champions League second leg in Munich further derailed Ozil’s season, but he more than made up for lost time through superb performances against Hull and Newcastle where he simply ran the show.

Germany’s chances at the World Cup

Although Mesut Ozil is considered an important player for Germany, it remains to be seen whether his resurgence in form in recent weeks will be enough to convince Joachim Low to include the Arsenal star in his 23-man squad. Germany are blessed with a plethora of top quality international players who play domestic football across the major leagues, with a primary focus on youth development creating a seemingly endless conveyor belt of top young prospects across the country. Ozil is one of many who benefited from the youth systems and progressed to become a world-class creative midfielder for club and country.

Germany, as they always are during major international tournaments, will be ultra-efficient and strong in this summer’s World Cup where they are predicted to stand the best chance of going all the way to the Final from the European nations who will be participating in Brazil. Their chances may be determined by whether host nation Brazil handle the huge pressure and expectation placed on their shoulders by a passionate fan base who want to see their team lift the famous trophy on home soil. More importantly, Germany must focus on their own game with Ozil potentially joining other world-class players such as Toni Kross, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer and Philipp Lahm in one of the strongest World Cup squad to feature on the biggest stage in world football.