Arsenal’s protracted contract extension talks with star duo Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have reportedly hit a very expensive snag, one that could cost the club in the region of £36 million to overcome.
According to the Times, the pair have increased their wage demands to an eye-watering £250,000 per week. To anyone counting, that’s an increase of some £70,000 on what was originally discussed when negotiations first began last season.
The London club has been trying to tie down the pivotal duo for over a year now, with five year contracts reportedly growing dusty on the table.
However, both have been stalling, choosing instead to put talks off until the end of the last season. International duties during the summer saw further delays and it is only now, with the new Premier League season underway, that the club and players appear to be getting back to negotiations.
Failure to meet the players’ massive wage demands would see Arsenal risk losing two of their most important players and you might well assume that the likes of Real Madrid, Ozil’s former club, and other top sides from around Europe, are monitoring the situation as it develops.
Fans will also be looking at the evolving situation with some nervousness. While other Premier League sides, such as Chelsea and both Manchester clubs, already dole out amounts similar to those demanded by the Arsenal pair, the Gunners have, until now, not had to entertain such lofty wage bills.
It seems now however that this may be about to change. To lose either Ozil or Sanchez would be to see the club’s title ambitions take a serious hit, never mind the guaranteed backlash from the fans.
Arsène Wenger now needs to decide just how much those ambitions are worth to him.
August is an edgy time in the Premier League calendar.
The new season is set to get underway, but with the transfer window yet to slam shut, most clubs still aren't quite sure exactly how their squad will look by the end of it.
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With some huge deals already done, plenty of new signings will be hoping to impress over the first weekend of action since May.
Teaming up with fantasy football product DraftKings, we take a look at some of the key battles that could decide the opening day fixtures.
N'GOLO KANTE VS. MARK NOBLE (CHELSEA VS. WEST HAM)
There's always only going to be one winner here. N'Golo Kante will make his competitive debut for Chelsea and we've no doubt he's going to run the midfield for Antonio Conte's side.
Mark Noble was one of West Ham's brightest sparks as they finished sixth last season and he'll want to continue that form. Old boss Sam Allardyce's appointment as England manager can only aid his chances of a Three Lions call-up, so he'll be really pushing for that in the coming months.
The big fantasy statistics for this pair are two that frequently go under the radar – interceptions (worth +0.5 fantasy points) and tackles won (+1 fantasy point). The words 'interception' and 'Kante' are basically interchangeable now anyway, so it's obvious who's the better choice.
Click here to select N'Golo Kante.
ROMELU LUKAKU VS. HARRY KANE (EVERTON VS. TOTTENHAM)
Players score +10 fantasy points per goal on DraftKings, so last season's Golden Boot winner Harry Kane is a solid choice.
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Kane spent the last term defying those who had called him a one-season wonder, but he's got to prove his doubters wrong all over again after his displays at the Euros.
He definitely won't be on corner kicks this time, so he can capitalise on Everton's shaky defence by grabbing a goal, assuming Ronald Koeman hasn't had time to perfect it just yet.
As for Lukaku, his future remains uncertain. Some centre forwards would take the opportunity to put themselves in the shop window, but the way the Belgian striker went off the boil after March suggests he might not be scoring regularly again until he gets his move.
On the final day of last season, he earned 2.8 fantasy points, compared to a year-long average of 10.8, so that tells you everything about how his mood can harm his game.
Click here to select Harry Kane.
MESUT OZIL VS. GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM (ARSENAL VS. LIVERPOOL)
Liverpool may have splashed out on their new midfielder, but it's up to the Dutchman to prove they haven't overpaid. It's going to be hard for him to outshine Ozil, though, as the German playmaker is set for another year as ‘King of Assists’, with each one earning fantasy managers +6 points.
To put the two players in perspective, Wijnaldum got five assists last term, while Ozil racked up 19.
Nonetheless, Wijnaldum was one of the few Newcastle players to impress despite their relegation and also scored two in four for the Netherlands in their international friendlies this summer. Arsenal have a ridiculous number of players missing, with their defence seemingly in turmoil.
The Gunners won't want to lose the ball or else Wijnaldum can add to the 11 goals he scored last season. For overall contribution, though, Ozil's the man here, particularly as Liverpool have their own defensive crisis to deal with.
Mesut Ozil has taken to social media to congratulate Alexis Sanchez on his Copa America triumph with Chile over the weekend.
The Arsenal forward helped his side beat Argentina on penalties to win the tournament for the second year running and add another trophy to his international collection.
Sanchez was also rewarded for his fine displays for Chile by winning the Golden Ball award, which is given to the tournament’s best player.
And Gunners playmaker Ozil was quick to take to social media to congratulate Sanchez on his successful tournament in the USA.
Ozil posted the picture above of the duo in action for Arsenal on his personal Instagram account and wrote: “Congrats to my Arsenal teammate alexis_officia1 for becoming player of the tournament and CopaAmerica champion! AFC Chile”
Sanchez joined Arsenal from Barcelona in the summer of 2014 and has been one of the Gunners’ standout performers, helping them to win the FA Cup in his first season at the north London club.
However, he and Ozil were forced to settle for a trophyless campaign last term.
Arsenal have failed yet again, but it is not all lost. Mesut Ozil still has faith and so long as he does, we have no reason to doubt the club’s capabilities.
No matter where you look, the message is the same – Arsenal failed. In a wide open year to win the title, Arsenal collapsed on themselves like a black hole. It’s tragic, unfortunate, and grounds to be upset. But it’s not the end of the world and Arsenal’s biggest star is helping remind us of that.
“You can realise your dreams here, and if we get in a few more good players, I think that will happen,” Mesut Ozil said, via the Evening Standard.
It may not seem like much, but hearing Mesut Ozil’s faith is all that I need to stay confident that things can get better. Next year (it’s that ‘next year’ argument again…) is an incredibly promising opportunity. Many point to Pep Guardiola or Conte or Mourinho and say Arsenal have no chance. But if you’re the best team, there is no need to worry about who else is out there.
This Arsenal team is strong. A few tweaks to the equation and they could be world beaters. It sounds pretty likely that Granit Xhaka will come to Arsenal. I don’t think I need to point out how huge that is. Finally, a strong midfielder who can wreak havoc in the middle of the pitch.
Per Mertesacker is essentially done, so a new center back – or improvement from Calum Chambers or Krystian Bielik – could be on the horizon as well.
But perhaps more importantly, Arsenal is going to get younger. Jon Toral, Gedion Zelalem, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and more will look to have the impact that Alex Iwobi had this year. Which, speaking of Iwobi, he will only get better as well.
Now that Alexis is on the right, he is stepping up his relevance too. Nobody major is leaving this summer. We can cross that fear out of our minds. Arsenal is a different club, one of the rare clubs that doesn’t operate like a revolving door. Arsene Wenger does have a renewed sense of urgency. Next year is the year.
It’s easy to be down on our luck after seeing Arsenal blow this massive opportunity, but I find it just as easy to be optimistic. Arsenal is not some vacuum that sucks the quality out of players. These guys we have are capable of bringing home a title against whoever Guardiola can cook up.
Arsenal have notified fans about their fixtures against West Ham, Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Norwich that have been rescheduled for television purposes.
Their trip away to West Ham that was originally set to take place at 3 p.m on Saturday, April 9, will now kick off at 12:45 p.m instead.
The second fixture to be rescheduled is their home match against Crystal Palace which was originally being played on Saturday, April 16, but is now due to be played on Sunday, April 17 at 4 p.m.
However, the club say that the game could yet revert to Saturday, April 16 (a possible 5.30 p.m kick off), and that final confirmation of the date and kick off time is subject to a number of factors including Arsenal's progress in The Emirates FA Cup.
The third fixture changed is their away match against Sunderland, which was going to take place on Saturday, April 23, has been moved to a 2:05 p.m kick off on Sunday, April 24.
Similarly to the Crystal Palace game, the date and kick off time of this match is yet to be completely confirmed based on Arsenal's Emirates FA Cup participation.
The final fixture date to be altered is against Norwich, on Saturday, April 30 which has been changed from a 3 p.m to a 5:30 p.m kick off.
The statement mentions that this particular tie could yet switch to Sunday, May 1 (possible 4 p.m kick off) due to a number of factors, including the progress of English Clubs in European competitions.
It is likely that that there will be more clarity around this fixture at some point between mid-March and mid-April.
The 'standard' TV selections have now been made up to the end of April 2016. Ordinarily, fixtures up to this date will not now change. However, as ever, all fixtures remain subject to change and circumstances may yet arise which result in further fixture changes.
Manchester United's decline this season can be traced back to their 3-0 loss at Arsenal, writes Miguel Delaney. Can Sunday be another turning point?
As they sat in the dressing room, some key Manchester United players were not happy with the manager.
Long before the final whistle blew on a chastening afternoon at Emirates Stadium in October, United players were wondering why Louis van Gaal had played into Arsenal’s hands. Why hadn’t they done what they always do against Arsene Wenger’s side, and what had almost always proven resoundingly successful? Why hadn’t they sat deep and tried to hit Arsenal on the counter?
The feeling was that a huge mistake had been made and, for Van Gaal, it may well have had significance beyond the 3-0 scoreline on the day.
It’s not as though this misstep immediately sparked open mutiny, but it’s difficult not to think the defeat at Arsenal was the root of the player unrest that characterised a dismal December, and has effectively meant the Dutch manager will be leaving in the summer.
The question, then, with the benefit of so much time passed and such a deep change in performance level in the intervening months, is whether United’s last match against Arsenal was also the first time something fundamentally and fatally broke with Van Gaal’s reign.
Although it’s almost unthinkable now, there really was a point this season when Manchester United looked impressive - and when there was a great deal of hope about what might be possible for Van Gaal and his team.
It just happened to be in the build-up to their trip to Arsenal on October 4. United had gone into that game on the back of four successive wins in all competitions and three successive wins in the league - the last time they did either this season. It was not just about the results, though: it was also about the rousing nature of their play.
A 3-1 win over Liverpool on September 12 saw Anthony Martial announce himself to English football and also sparked something in United. They scored six over the next two league games, against Southampton and Sunderland, and would hit a total of 15 in the six matches leading up to Arsenal.
They travelled to the Emirates in assertive mood. In fact, given that Arsene Wenger’s side had just lost 3-2 to Olympiacos in the Champions League in calamitous fashion, it was understandable that there was a sense of confidence about Van Gaal.
However, this confidence simply meant that his side fell into a perfect trap because Arsenal played a perfect first 19 minutes. United tried to step out, and Wenger’s side - in particular Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil - just blew them away.
At 3-0 down after just 19 minutes, United were never going to get back into the game and in truth have never looked the same this season; it might well have been the campaign’s genuine turning point, and mostly because Van Gaal wouldn’t budge on his tactics.
Consider the figures of their season. Before that match, United had won nine of 12 games in all competitions and hit 22 goals; since, they’ve only won 10 of 27 games while losing seven, scoring just 33 goals. These are distinctive drop-offs: they’ve gone from a 75% win percentage to 37% and from 1.83 goals per game to 1.22.
This unmistakable downturn could well be a consequence of that fateful game against Arsenal and the impact it had on the Manchester United players.
Up until their trip to North London, and for a period afterwards, the United squad felt Van Gaal was authoritarian but actually liked the way he “kept them on their toes”, because it reminded them of Ferguson.
They were obviously willing to buy into anything that helped them win, but the manner of the Arsenal defeat began to erode some trust and meant that - even subconsciously - they couldn’t quite buy into Van Gaal in the same way; it created proper doubt, whereas previously there had only been a few questions.
The damaging nature of the defeat also indicated something that was to become a real issue for the players by December: Van Gaal’s dogmatic unwillingness to change, even when it seemed counter-productive not to do so.
If Van Gaal does set up the side in the logical way against Arsenal, and United get a result, it could potentially recharge their Champions League challenge. It would certainly cut the gap between those two sides, and between United and the top four. There would be renewed optimism, and a sense they can adapt to the circumstances of the season.
If they don’t, and they lose in even a vaguely similar manner, United could well be cut adrift. An aimless and discouraging season could become a plummeting and depressing one.
We’ll know a lot by the line-ups as the game starts. We could know everything we need to know by the time it finishes.
Mesut Ozil has said his excellent form for Arsenal this season is down to him playing in a No. 10 position for the club.
Ozil, 27, has impressed for Arsenal, recording 11 assists in the Premier League and scoring three goals in all competitions.
The Germany international, who signed for the Gunners from Real Madrid for £42.5 million in 2013, said he is enjoying his football at Emirates Stadium.
"I am an absolute team player. I don't need goals for my ego," he told Sport 1. "Whoever is positioned best in front of the goal should shoot. But I understand that I need to try to score myself from time to time. I do that now."
"On top of it all, that I have my position as the No. 10 in midfield now. And you should also not forget that we've got a super team, and get along really well.
"We all know how the others play, and you also predict the running path of a teammate in a situation."
When asked whether his good run of form could make the difference in the title race, Ozil said: "Not because of Mesut Ozil, but with Mesut Ozil.
"We've twice won the FA Cup, and won the Charity Shield this summer too. We definitely want to improve that. Should we continue like that, and become just a tiny bit more consistent, it can work out. But the others don't sleep."
Prior to the season, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger challenged Ozil to score more goals, and, following his header in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb, praised Ozil.
Wenger told BT Sport: ""He had an outstanding first half, he has got the taste for scoring now. "I've never seen him in the box so many times this season, especially in the last five or six games."
Arsenal fans felt Mesut Ozil offered more than Olivier Giroud did after filling in for the striker against Dinamo Zagreb.
Olivier Giroud's sending off prompted Arsene Wenger to experiment as he tried to find a way for Arsenal recover against Dinamo Zagreb.
Arsenal ended up losing 2-1, becoming the third English side to suffer defeat in their opening Champions League game.
Theo Walcott, on as a substitute, scored Arsenal's goal in the second half, but it was Mesut Ozil who took up more of a central forward role.
The German was a lively presence in attack, and actually offered the movement Olivier Giroud is unable to.
Ozil was playing in a position he is unaccustomed to for Arsenal, but has done so for Germany playing as a 'False Nine'. When Walcott was brought on for Sanchez, he simply slotted in for the Chilean out wide.
His role is not likely one Arsenal are likely to repeat by choice, but given their lack of options up front, it is a possibility they are pushed into doing so again.
Typically when Arsenal suffer a lacklustre defeat in Europe, Ozil is one of the first players to be criticised, but the effort he made in the second half saw him become one of the few players to emerge with any credit from the surprise defeat.
Here is a look at how fans reacted to his display...
Germany coach Joachim Loew considers it all but impossible for any of his players to compete both at next year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics and Euro 2016, saying the fatigue of playing two tournaments in a summer was too much.
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has said he would like to play at the Olympics where teams consist of under-23 players along with some overage players.
But a month before the Olympics in the Brazilian city, World Cup winners Germany are hoping to compete at the Euro 2016 in France.
Loew said on Thursday any such Olympic hopes would have to give way to the Euro.
"Obviously the Olympics are an emotional issue. For me, however, it is unthinkable to play both tournaments," he told reporters, adding that it would require two preparation phases for the player for each tournament as well as the long competitions.
The German club season will also start in the same month of August as the Olympics.
"I think it makes no sense. It would help no one. So it is vastly unlikely (to happen) and priority for us is the Euro," Loew said.
Germany's Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller have also refused to consider the possibility of playing at both events, when asked by reporters, saying the Euros and the World Cups meant more to a footballer than the Olympics.
Germany are in second place in their Euro 2016 qualifying group D on 13 points, one point behind leaders Poland, who they face on Friday. Scotland, Germany' opponents on Monday in Glasgow, are third on 11.
Mesut Ozil has said before that he is "convinced" he can win the Ballon d'Or and now he has a plan on how to do it.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been the only recipients of the award recognising the best player in Europe since 2007, but Arsenal midfielder Ozil is hopeful he can muscle in.
Speaking earlier in the year he told Sport Bild: "I am convinced that it can happen."
But if it is, he says he must be getting on the score sheet more.
"I have to become more dangerous in front of the goal," he said when asked about winning the accolade.
"I was injured for long spells last season, and scored only five in 32 competitive games. I want to improve this. To achieve it, I have to be a bit more egotistical."
Ozil is yet to score this season, but missed Arsenal's most recent game - a 1-0 win over Newcastle - through injury. However, the World Cup winner is in contention to be ready for Germany's Euro 2016 qualifiers against Poland on Friday and Scotland next week.
Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Mesut Ozil mengucapkan Selamat Hari Merdeka ke-70 Republik Indonesia. Ucapan itu disampaikan gelandang Arsenal dan Timnas Jerman tersebut melalui laman resmi media sosial Facebook miliknya.
Melalui postingannya, Ozil juga mengunggah foto dirinya di ruang ganti pemain yang berisi kostum pemain Arsnal. Di foto tersebut, Ozil mengenakan kemeja putih dengan dasi merah.
Dalam ucapannya, Ozil mencantumkan hastag, #RedAndWhite #Indonesia #IndependenceDay. "Wish all Indonesians a very happy 70th Independence Day, peace, prosperity and growth!" tulis Mesut Ozil di akun facebooknya.
Ucapan Ozil ini sudah dibagikan sebanyak 5.775 pengguna Facebook dan telah mendapat 4.246 komentar.
Selain Ozil, dua pemain Inter Milan, Dodo dan Jonathan Biabiany, juga turut merayakan Hari Kemerdekaan ke-70 Republik Indonesia. Mereka merayakannya paada acara Expo 2015 yang berlangsung di Milan, Italia, Senin (17/8/2015).
"Senangnya mengetahui bahwa kami juga memiliki banyak fans di Indonesia dan saya ingin mengunjungi negara tersebut. Hari ini (17 Agustus) adalah hari penting bagi mereka dan menjadi sebuah kehormatan merayakan Dirgahayu ke-70 Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia bersama mereka. Dan kami senang, mereka memilih merayakan itu bersama kami!" ucap Biabiany. (Bog/Ary)
World Cup winner Mesut Ozil has revealed the current Arsenal player he likes to call his role model.
The midfielder named German teammate and Arsenal vice-captain Per Mertesacker as the player he admires most.
Mertesacker, who led Arsenal to a Community Shield victory over Chelsea on Sunday, is seen by Ozil as the perfect leader in Arsene Wenger’s current squad.
"I always see Per as a role model,” Ozil told Arsenal’s official website.
"He always gives everything for the team, you can see that he’s determined and wants to be successful. You can sense that on the pitch.
"He’s very focused, very professional. He does his job 100% – he’s not the sort of person who does things by half measures. He’s rather the sort of person who, if he has something in his head, wants to see it through.
"He looks after himself and his diet, and before matches he does his exercises to make sure that he stays fit and doesn’t pick up any injuries.
"You can see on the pitch that he’s fresh and is always there for everyone.
"We’re just really pleased to have him and you can sense on the pitch that he gives everything for the team."
Ozil and the rest of his Arsenal teammates start the new Premier League season at the Emirates on Saturday, against West Ham United.
Are you surprised by Ozil’s choice of role model? Have your say in the comments section below.
Arsene Wenger does not believe Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema would automatically transform Arsenal into Premier League winners.
Arsenal's Mesut Ozil celebrates his goal against Aston Villa during their English Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium in London, February 1, 2015. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
Arsenal’s record scorer, Thierry Henry, has said the acquisition of Benzema, who has been linked with a move to north London this summer, would spur Arsenal to their first league title since 2004.
But Wenger, speaking ahead of his side’s opener against West Ham at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, said his squad should instead take a collective approach to their scoring duties.
“I respect Thierry Henry a lot for his football knowledge but it is not as mathematical as that,” Wenger said. “We have to develop our collective game and depend less on one guy who comes in and scores all the goals.”
Every Premier League title winner since 2009 has boasted one player who has scored at least 20 goals.
But while Wenger acknowledged the importance of a free-scoring striker, he called on players such as Mesut Ozil, in his third campaign with the club, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who netted the winner against Chelsea in the Community Shield, to improve their scoring tallies from midfield.
“It is important but maybe we can share that,” Wenger said. “I think Olivier Giroud would not have been far from 20 if he played the whole of last season and Theo Walcott, as well.
“I don’t see why a guy like Chamberlain should not have an ambition to score 10 goals, Sanchez can score goals, too.
“Ozil has to fix himself a target of at least 10. For a guy who plays behind the striker you want more from him on the goalscoring so we can a little bit share that.”
Arsenal will head into their opener against West Ham without Jack Wilshere after he was sidelined for up to four weeks with a hairline fracture to his left fibula.
It marks the latest setback for the 23-year-old midfielder, but Wenger is hopeful Wilshere will become less susceptible to injuries with age.
“Your body settles down at 23 and adapts,” Wenger said. “I have developed many, many young players and many who were injury-prone at 19, 20, 21.
“You think they will always be injured, but at 23 suddenly their bodies adapted.
“Ashley Cole had ankle problems, Gael Clichy and Robin van Persie also had surgeries before the age of 23 but after that they suddenly settled.”
Mesut Ozil headed to meet up with the Arsenal squad on Saturday evening ahead of their clash with West Ham
Mesut Ozil looked chilled out as he headed to join up with the Arsenal squad on Saturday evening ahead of their Premier League opener against West Ham United.
The Gunners are preparing to kick off their top-flight campaign with a home clash against the Hammers at Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they bid to start the season with a win.
And Ozil looked relaxed as he drove to meet up with Arsene Wenger’s side ahead of their tie against the east London side.
The Germany playmaker shared the picture above on his personal Instagram account and wrote: “Today BPL started… Tomorrow is our turn to kick start our season… On my way to join the team… #YaGunnersYa #Ozil #özil”
Ozil scored four goals in 22 Premier League games last season after missing three months of the campaign with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Alexis Sanchez is not expected to be fit to feature for Arsenal on Sunday after only returning to training last week following his extended summer holiday after the Copa America.
Arsenal's Premier League campaign started in disastrous fashion with a 2-0 home defeat to West Ham United.
Petr Cech was the big summer signing for Arsenal -- a keeper, it was said, who could transform them into title contenders -- but it was Cech who was guilty of mistakes on both West Ham goals at Emirates Stadium.
The excellent Dimitri Payet set up Cheikhou Kouyate for the opening goal before Mauro Zarate struck in the second half to drastically undermine suggestions that this could be the season Arsene Wenger reclaims the Premier League title which has eluded him since 2004.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Petr Cech, 4 -- It was most unfortunate that the first significant act of Cech's Arsenal career was to be caught out by a superb Payet delivery, as the former Chelsea goalkeeper rushed out and failed to prevent Kouyate from heading home the opening goal. The second shot on target he faced in an Arsenal shirt also went in, as Cech's misstep allowed an eminently saveable effort from Zarate to beat him. A catastrophic debut.
Petr Cech's Arsenal debut was one to forget.
DF Mathieu Debuchy, 5 -- A minor injury to Hector Bellerin gave the Frenchman an unexpected chance to restate his credentials, but the rust showed having played one game since the start of April as he struggled to contain floating playmaker Payet. Debuchy was guilty of a couple of sloppy moments and it was no surprise when he was sacrificed to make way for Alexis Sanchez as Arsenal grew desperate.
DF Per Mertesacker, 6 -- Mertesacker was alert to the threat posed by West Ham in the early stages with a couple of key interceptions showing the value of a proper preseason -- a contrast to last year's post-World Cup efforts. He was given the occasional problem by West Ham's varied attack but neither goal could be ascribed to him.
DF Laurent Koscielny, 5 -- Cech's rash and self-defeating charge from his line was the defining image of the opening goal, but Koscielny was just as culpable, allowing Kouyate to run completely unhindered and convert with his head. It marred an otherwise acceptable performance, although like the rest of his teammates, Koscielny was far from his best.
DF Nacho Monreal, 5 -- Monreal had Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Sanchez and Mesut Ozil all playing ahead of him for spells during the match, so it was tricky to establish any kind of consistent approach in the rare times he crossed the halfway line with any kind of intent. He joined Koscielny in letting Kouyate run free for the goal and left little impression on the game.
MF Francis Coquelin, 6 -- His distribution was mixed in what was an uncharacteristically sloppy team performance by Arsenal, but Coquelin was typically enthusiastic in his pressing and harrying in the midfield depths, even if he afforded Payet a bit too much freedom. Once Arsenal were two goals down, his skills were no longer needed in the hectic pursuit of goals and he was replaced by Walcott.
MF Aaron Ramsey, 5 -- Over the course of the match, the Welshman gradually started to meander forward to join the front four, seeing one deflected effort clip the bar and a drilled shot sneak narrowly wide. He went to the left for the start of the second half, but just when Arsenal were desperate for a bit of control and leadership, he was unable to supply either. Too many moves in the final third broke down and Ramsey was as guilty as anyone.
MF Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 6 -- He greeted the half-time whistle with an overt show of frustration, and for good reason: Arsenal were 1-0 down, but Oxlade-Chamberlain had been their star performer. His direct running unsettled West Ham from the opening minutes and his slaloms past statuesque opponents became a prominent feature of the first half. But as Arsenal's afternoon unraveled, so too did his performance. One rifled shot into the side netting briefly suggested he could replicate his impact at the Community Shield, but his impotence and wastefulness mirrored that of his team. Was unforgivably nudged off the ball by Zarate for the second goal.
MF Mesut Ozil, 5 -- The kind of performance of which Ozil's many detractors love to cite in evidence against him. Ozil contributed to some neat early moves, flicking the ball around and probing in his usual manner, but as Arsenal lost their grip on the game and their attacks became ever more haphazard, he seemed to shrink, diminishing in the face of the big talent of 16-year-old Reece Oxford.
Mesut Ozil was a non-factor in the Arsenal attack against West Ham.
MF Santi Cazorla, 5 -- Having performed so expertly as a deep midfielder in the second half of last season, Cazorla's return to a wide role, hinted at during the Community Shield, was confirmed. His influence on the ball waned as a result, but when he did have possession he showed his usual imagination and intelligence in a first half where he carved out a handful of chances. His return to the centre for the second half failed to give Arsenal the control they so sorely lacked, though.
FW Olivier Giroud, 5 -- A starting role was a show of faith in Giroud after he was benched for the FA Cup final and the Community Shield for Theo Walcott, but it was not repaid. Although he worked diligently and always looked to make clever runs, the best metric by which to measure a striker is goals and Giroud wasted too many chances in the second half. If Arsenal are in with a chance of signing Karim Benzema, Giroud's performance should redouble their resolve to get the deal done.
Substitutes:
FW Theo Walcott, 5 -- Walcott came on for Coquelin in the 58th minute and had a good attempt blocked late on, but by the time he arrived Arsenal's plans were in chaos and it wasn't the right environment for the substitute to impress. West Ham were happy to sit deep and deny Walcott the space he so craves, limiting his impact substantially.
FW Alexis Sanchez, 6 -- Replaced Debuchy in the 67th minute. It was more than faintly embarrassing that Arsenal's best hope of rescuing anything from the game came from a player who had only just returned from holiday after his Copa America exertions. Sanchez, who was not expected to play, conjured up a few chances and supplied the kind of goal threat that his teammates seemed incapable of. He was not as sharp as normal, but for good reason.
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