Mesut Ozil: A player seeking form

Mesut Ozil's somewhat dip in performance rate of late has been picked up in the Metro newspaper, something which I have noted in the last few weeks.

Reading Gavin Brown's article on the train this morning, he isn't particularly downgrading or calling Ozil a bad player (that would be absurd) but he is maybe missing the winter break he became accustomed to back in Spain. He is 'missing in action', as Brown puts it.

As I said in a previous post, perhaps he is feeling the pressure of his high price tag, while his slight injury picked up in the last couple of months will have hindered him after his fine start since joining from Read Madrid in August.

But yes I agree with Brown's point regarding the winter break also, and he suggests Ozil is perhaps in a winter-break mindset. If that is the case, let's hope he picks up form shortly. In contrast however, Ozil recently revealed how he is enjoying playing in England without the winter break he has become accustomed to. He revealed he wants to continue improving, which he may have to based on his recent form, and puts a lot of that down to playing more regular games which happens during the winter period. Maybe he is putting too much pressure on himself?

I think a lot of fans are choosing to ignore Ozil's dip in form, perhaps not wanting to come to terms with our expensive talisman being in need of finding his way again.  Of course there is no doubting his talents; he has proven himself in English football as he showed to us all when joining on transfer deadline day.

We take on Fulham tomorrow afternoon (3pm GMT kick off) in what should be a relatively straight forward task. René Meulensteen's side are battling to stay in the Barclays Premier League, with only two points separating them and the drop, with all three teams in the relegation zone sharing seventeen points.

Rosicky and Monreal are expected to return for tomorrow's game. Rosicky could feature with a mask after braking his nose against Aston Villa which forced him to be a substituted sub. Monreal meanwhile should be available despite a twisted ligament in his foot.

Despite Olivier Giroud's well taken and somewhat fortuitous goal last Monday, he still needs to do a lot more upfront to prove he is our main man up-front. Arsene believes in him to prove why we won't be delving into the January transfer market for a striker, but I think I still need persuading.

Enjoy the game tomorrow. For the Metro's feature on Mesut Ozil, click here.

Ozil: the centre of attention after signing from Real Madrid in August

Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal: Arsenal hold on in a tale of two halves

So Arsenal have gone back to top the Premier League once more following their 2-1 win against Aston Villa tonight, but they certainly made it a difficult task.

We cruised the first half, looking in total control with Villa unable to muster much other than a Fabian Delph effort that went agonisingly wide. Other than that, I can't recall Szczesny having anything else to do.

We looked good and created a couple of early half chances but Giroud, being Giroud, was unable to give us an early lead. Podolski was on the bench for this one, and remained an unused sub, but he should have come on in the second half with Giroud putting in yet another frustrating performance.

The Frenchman did score however in a blink-and-you'd-miss it scenario. Both goals came back to back of each other with our second goal coming only around 15 seconds of the restart. I was still celebrating the first in fact.

Nacho Monreal darted down the left following Mesut Ozil's fine through ball, and the left back's cross went behind Matt Lowton with Jack Wilshere arriving. His first touch was superb as he set himself up for the shot, with his effort a little scuffed as it rolled past a diving Brad Guzan.

Arsenal had been pressing Villa all game and credit to the hosts for once we got the ball back, we faced a well organised Villa defence. But just after the restart Giroud's pressing won the ball back and we darted forward. Wilshere turned provider this time with his pass to the striker who struck his shot into the ground as it blasted past Guzan, who had only just picked the ball out of his net.

Aston Villa looked a different side in the second half however and we looked a little concerning. Christian Benteke, who hadn't scored in nearly four months, was getting into some good positions and managed to pull one back for the hosts with 15 minutes remaining; only his sixth goal, and his third third against us, this season. Lowton produced a great cross behind our back line and Benteke dived in at the back post with a header to halve the deficit.

I thought we would let Villa back into it completely from then on in and we had to ride the storm a little. We held on however, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming on late in the second half to make his first appearance for us since the opening game of the season.

If I was Wenger however I'd be pretty disappointed with our second half performance. As has been a similar occurrence of late, Ozil hasn't been living up to his £42m price tag, and even Santi Cazorla was at fault for Villa's goal. I will be happy when Aaron Ramsey makes his return from injury, as Rosicky was forced off tonight, and Arteta wasn't named in Wenger's 18-man squad tonight, presumably with an injury.

Serge Gnabry looked lively again tonight and we take the three points that we knew we needed. We remain top of the table once again, and can look forward to our next home match against a lacklustre Fulham on Saturday.

Transfer rumours: Wenger's keeping his lips sealed

As per usual Arsene Wenger isn't exactly giving much away in terms of his transfer policy this month. This is all very well in preventing other clubs from knowing our transfer targets, but Wenger needs to act soon as this is an important month as we try to consolidate our position at the top of the league.

We have constantly been linked with Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata, though Real Madrid had changed their mind in allowing him to go out on-loan. Now it is being reported he will be allowed to move on loan, with the Spanish Under-21 forward eager for more first team football. Wenger has now played down talks with us being linked to the highly rated youngster, but then you never know with Wenger.

Sebastian Giovinco is another rumoured target assuming nothing does happen with Morata. Giovinco is a versatile player as he can play up-front or across the midfield and is known for his freekicks particularly. The 26-year-old rose through the Juventus ranks with loans spells at Empoli and Parma but has struggled to secure a spot in the Juventus first team this season. For me, I don't think there is enough in this rumour to suggest he is the type of player Wenger sees as a needed striker.

Diego Costa is a player I have heard a lot more about. The Atletico Madrid striker, who is reported to have suffered xenophobic chants in Madrid's match against Valencia, may be looking for a temporary move away. The 25-year-old has been in fine form this season for Atletico with 23 goals in 21 appearances to his name, across the La Ligo and UEFA Champions League. And if you're into your betting, the odds of us signing the Brazilian striker have dropped making us favourites. It might be difficult to sign a player of his quality this month however, with Atletico Madrid surely wanting to hold onto him, meaning he is more likely to be a summer target.

I've mentioned Chicortio Hernandez before and I think he is a great forward for any team. Rumours surrounding any potential move for the United striker has gone quiet but the Mexican has seen opportunities come few and far between; he must surely be itching for first team opportunities. He certainly has the quality.

Mario Mandzukic remains in the frame, but much like Costa, any move for him would again be a permanent move offer in the summer. He would be a great signing for sure, having proven himself at Bayern Munich and on the international scale, but he faces competition with Polish striker Robert Lewandowski arrival on the horizon, which could force his move. Perhaps Munich already have plans to allow him to move on come the summer months?

What has actually happened though is Chuba Akpom has joined Brentford on loan for the remainder of the season. This will only benefit his development and shows that he is not yet ready for first team action in the Premier League. Park is dead wood at Arsenal and shouldn't he be loaned as well?

Still, Giroud and Oxlade-Chamberlain may well make their returns against Aston Villa on Monday night (20:00 GMT kick off), which will boost our attacking options a little somewhat!  Giroud had recently been ill, while Chambo makes his return since the start of the season. We have a little extra time to prepare for our trip to Villa, with the rest of the Premier League in action over the weekend.

Monday evening's game will almost certainly be different to the one that opened our campaign back in August, and it is a must win game with it being so tight at the top!

2014: The year of the Gunners? Happy January transfer window!

I hope all my readers had a very merry Christmas and enjoyed seeing Arsenal enter the new year top of the Barclays Premier League. It's been a wonderful season so far for us Gooners and this year looks to be very promising indeed.

After suffering a recent dip in form, it looked as though we might be about to drop down away from the title challengers but away wins against West Ham and Newcastle respectively have kept up momentum.

New Year's Day itself saw us leave things late to seal a win at home to Cardiff but it was in a game which we dominated. The same happened yesterday against Tottenham with regards to our domination and we were full deserving in progressing to the next round of the FA Cup

It was one of the best midfield displays I think we've seen all season against Spurs on Saturday and it was great to see Rosicky score his goal! Walcott did well in the striker role and it is disappointing to see him be added to the injury list.

Bendtner has looked more impressive as he returns to the first team and will be incredibly frustrated in picking up his injury against Cardiff, Walcott has hurt his knee, and Podolski is still trying to find full fitness. Giroud will be back next week as he only missed the Totemham match through illness but with Podolski lacking in match fitness and Park our only other striker in the team, Wenger will need to bring in an on loan striker for sure while he has the chance.

The likes of Mandzukic, Chicorito Hernandez, Benzema, and Diego Costa have all been circulating around the media but any deals for these kind of players will be summer moves. Barcelona's Pedro has also been mentioned and he would make a great signing, with the 26-year-old reportedly unhappy with first team involvement at the Camp Nou this season.

Another position I feel certainly needs strengthening for sure is right back. Sagna is strong but he frustrates me a lot. He doesn't look natural on the ball, often looks to pass it back than get to the byline, and often possesses poor delivery when crossing. Jenkinson isn't a reliable back-up either and while he can put in two or three good displays, he is then inconsistent or is prone to mistakes at any point.

We need quality in quantity and so be able to call upon strong players and big names across all positions. This is where Chelsea are strong in being able to have almost two starting elevens. With injuries creeping in, we need strength in depth to be able to keep up with those around us if we are to continue mounting a strong title challenge for the remainder of the season.

Still things are looking good for now and this is an important month with the window open. It still remains anyone's title as our lead is only slender. We're playing good football still though, grinding out results too but we need more goals. 

Following the win against Spurs yesterday, Arsenal will play Coventry at the end of the month in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Arsenal v Chelsea - regaining top spot should be Wenger's priority

We take on Chelsea on Monday evening knowing a win will ensure we will be top of the Premier League by Christmas. This would be a great feeling!

Of course, we have been top for most of the season but now to have let Liverpool and Manchester City overtake us as things stand is very disappointing. Only a couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to go seven points clear but in typical Arsenal fashion, we now find ourselves looking up rather than beaming down with such confidence.

Perhaps the pace and strength of the English game has caught up with Ozil, Giroud is struggling to keep up regular high performances, and we aren't able to call upon top class midfield or attacking back-up. In some ways the January transfer window can't come quickly enough.

I will try to analyse the rumours circulating around the media as to who will may be linked with, and Wenger must surely act when the window opens at the start of the new year. The stubbornness of the man though will mean we are unlikely to go for players in order to have strength-in-depth.

Having said that we do have the quality to beat Chelsea, particularly on home soil, and they didn't exactly outplay us in every department during the 2-0 League Cup game earlier this year. Wenger put out a disappointing side against a very strong Mourinho starting XI which was ridiculous. This time we will go out with a very different side and Chelsea are very much an up and down team this year, unlike Man City.

We need to forget about the result last weekend and hopefully the long break we have had will be beneficial this time around.

After Chelsea we play away against West Ham and Newcastle respectively and, based on how we have played for the majority of this season, these are games we should easily be picking up points in. Of course there is the worry we are about to go on a downward spiral, but let's hope not. Let's get back to winning ways on Monday night and look to regain top spot by the end of the year.

Arsenal must pick themselves up against Manchester City

Wow...so we cut it fine in progressing to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, but we're through and now have a mass of tough matches as we look to see in the new year.

Perhaps not helped by Arteta's sending off, the thoughts of playing Manchester City next on Sunday, or knowing simply a draw would have been enough for top spot, we were undone eventually by Gonzalo Higuain and Napoli.

Rumoured as one of our major transfer targets last summer, Higuain gave Napoli the lead in Naples on Wednesday night, before Jose Calejon chipped in a last gasp second, but still we qualified from the group in second place with Napoli looking ahead to Europa League action instead.

Gonzalo Higuain opens the scoring.

Borussia Dortmund beat Marseille 2-1 in the other group match, scoring the winner in the last minutes, which edges them in front of us on goal difference. Of course for us, as runners up, we now have to face the reality of playing either Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Atletico Madrid, or last year's winners Bayern Munich and we shall find out when the draw is made on Monday (16.12.2013).

I've heard Arteta's tackles were "needless" which resulted in his two yellow cards. I feel the Spaniard is not on par with Flamini in the defensive midfield position and I would certainly continue to pick the Frenchman over the Spaniard any day of the week. Having said that I guess Flamini can be a little reckless but he gets more stuck in with a hard but fair mentality which we haven't seen for some years in an Arsenal midfield.

We just had to make sure on Wednesday night that we didn't lose by more than three goals and when the second went in, our hearts both slowed right down and quickened in pace all at the same time. But the referee ended the game to the delight (sort of) of Arsenal fans (perhaps more relief) that we had progressed to the knock-out rounds.

Face of disbelief: Arteta feels the bookings were harsh.

Yes it will be difficult whoever we face but we have done well to be in with a chance of facing those clubs I listed earlier, considering I and a lot others, thought we would struggle in our group as of match-day one. We've proved fans wrong time and time again this season though, so we should take confidence despite Wednesday night's disappointing scoreline.

Of course Wenger has enjoyed reminding us all of the fixture congestion and the trip to Manchester on Saturday will have been in his mind when picking his side to play against Napoli. After City on Saturday we play Chelsea the following Monday (23.12.2013); the first time we have a whole week between fixtures since our loss to Manchester United. 65 hours separate our kick offs from Naples and Manchester and it is certainly going to be tough for us, especially when Manchester City maintain a 100% home record so far this season!

With a trip to Etihad Stadium followed by our home match against Chelsea, we travel to West Ham and Newcastle in the Christmas - New Year week, before hosting Cardiff on New Year's Day. Our F.A Cup campaign will begin against our greatest local rivals Spurs three days later, before we play against Villa; the side against who our season began.

For now let us hope to see our gap at the top of the league increase with a point or three gained against City, and await our fate in the Champions League last 16 draw at he start of next week. The match tomorrow kicks off at 12:45pm, UK time.

Old Boys: Former Gunners Song and Nasri during an Arsenal v Manchester City fixture.

Napoli v Arsenal - Champions League Matchday 6, last 16 place up for grabs

Since my last post a couple of weeks ago (and where has the time gone?) Arsenal have continued their good form with wins in the Premier League against Hull and Cardiff, and most recently earned a 1-1 draw against Everton as we sit five points clear at the top of the table.

Tonight is all about the Champions League however, and we will qualify so long as we don't lose by three goals or more against Napoli. They looked pretty average against us earlier this season, but proved a tough side in our pre-season friendly all the way back in August.

Pre-season is never much to go by however and current form will certainly prove a vital factor. Rafa Benitez's side are third in Serie A with a number of wins, aided by their earlier seven match unbeaten run at the start of the season. They will enjoy playing in-front of their home crowd tonight and so I wouldn't expect us to find it easy. But we've been scoring for fun this season and we are going their with a mentality to get a win and qualify as top of our group.

That said so are Napoli, who have have scored eight in their last three games and they will have former Arsenal target Gonzalo Higuain ready to pounce on any opportunity tonight.

Walcott has returned, and was slowly being reintroduced back into the first team originally around the time of my last post. His pace has obviously given us more in terms of attacking and Bendtner has also featured with Giroud needing a much earned rest.

Fair credit to the Dane too for scoring against Hull. It was clear what the goal meant to him, as he was handed his first Premier League start for Arsenal in 1,005 days!

In our last match however, a draw was probably the fairest result with Everton putting in a wonderful performance against us (somewhat frustratingly), but Ross Barkley will certainly be trying to stake his claim in the England side for next year's World Cup in Brazil. Ozil opened the scoring late on before Everton equalised just two minutes later. They way our defence has been this year though Napoli will do well to break through us tonight.

It will be a great match tonight I am sure, and I fully believe we will progress as group winners. It could be tight but the result will help our momentum and morale as we head into a difficult fixture period.

Ozil scores a brilliant goal to open his Arsenal goal-scoring campaign
in our 2-0 vicotry over Napoli at Emirates Stadium.