Scans performed on Thursday have confirmed that Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil will be sidelined for at least one
month with a hamstring strain.
The absence means Arsenal will be without Ozil for Sunday’s North London derby at Tottenham as well as Premier League matches against Chelsea, Swansea, Manchester City and Everton. He is doubtful for the April 12th FA Cup semi-final clash with Wigan Athletic.
The loss of Ozil is significant on it’s own but is greatly exacerbated given the current state of the club’s midfield. Theo Walcott is out for the season after undergoing ACL surgery, Jack Wilshere is out for at least five weeks with an ankle injury and Aaron Ramsey has been out with a thigh strain since December and is not expected to return in the immediate future.
The absence of the four midfielders means that Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini are likely to start against Tottenham in the holding roles while manager Arsene Wenger will choose his attacking three from a relatively deep pool of Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain andSerge Gnabry.
Of particular note to Ozil’s injury is the fact that it was suffered in the 2nd minute of Tuesday’s Champions League contest at Bayern Munich but that the German international played the entire first half before being substituted off. Whether that was the decision of Ozil trying to ‘tough it out’ or the Arsenal coaching staff hoping he could shake it off, it’s a move that puts the Gunners in a tight spot as they head into the most crucial part of their season.
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