As the number of Germany’s competitors fall for the World Cup crown, it appears that so does the number of North-London Germans on show. During the group stages, Podolski, Mertesacker and Ozil were all regular starters. However, Lukas Podolski was unavailable for the last 16-tie against Algeria and now Per Mertesacker has fallen for an unknown reason, leaving Mesut Ozil as Germany’s only Gunner in the starting XI. In their quarter-final agianst France, a rather dull match was encountered in a stereotypical German fashion. A set-piece goal was all that separated the two sides. 

Mesut Ozil, starting his fifth match in a row, suffered a substandard performance by his very high standards. With Germany setting up in a more conventional style, Ozil was shifted onto the left to accommodate Miroslav Klose, who was seeking his record braking 16th World Cup goal. Whilst the balance of the German side was perhaps restored, Ozil personal performance was hindered. The 25-year-old often found himself isolated with scarce options due to the conservative positioning of Benedikt Höwedes, a right-footed centre-back playing on the left side of defence. Ozil, who only touched the ball 37 times, made only one through-ball and key pass. This statistic clearly shows the lack of influence he had on the game, as he was powerless to execute his accustomary creative distribution.

In other areas of the pitch, Arsenal target Sami Khedira also suffered a troublesome evening. Having only recently returned from a five-month knee injury, Khedira disappointingly played a typical ‘returning to full fitness’ performance. Although he ran with purpose and power, he often lacked the dexterity required to succeed at Arsenal. Should he sign, it would be an indication that Arsene Wenger is looking to return to the 4-3-3 once again.

No current Gooners started for Les Blues but Newcastle United's Mathieu Debuchy started ahead of former Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna. The 28-year-old looks set to become his countrymans replacement at the Emirates with a fee agreed between the two clubs. Target Loic Remy joined Arsenal frontman Olivier Giroud and the impressive Laurent Koscielny as second-half substitutes. 

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