Draw at Chelsea shows Arsenal can cope without Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, says Martin Keown
Ozil was absent from Arsene Wenger’s match-day squad while Sanchez made a late appearance at the Bridge, coming off the bench in the final 25 minutes
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Your support makes all the difference.Martin Keown believes Arsenal’s 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Sunday was a sign that his former club can cope without Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in the side.
The north Londoners put in an assured performance against their rivals to extend their unbeaten run against Chelsea to three games.
Ozil was absent from Arsene Wenger’s match-day squad while Sanchez made a late appearance, coming off the bench in the final 25 minutes.
Neither sides were capable of breaking the deadlock, with David Luiz being shown a red card in the closing minutes of the game for a late challenge on Sead Kolasinac.
Despite Arsenal picking up just one point, Keown believes it was a performance which showed the collective strength of the side's starting XI.
“There has been so much fear at Arsenal of losing Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil,” the former defender wrote in the Daily Mail. “This excellent performance at Chelsea without them made you wonder what all the fuss was about.
“Without these two, Arsenal were much better defensively. They were disciplined, worked together and pressed as a unit to close down Chelsea.”
Keown was also full of praise for Aaron Ramsey who he believes was able to thrive without the presence of Ozil in the centre of midfield.
“With midfielders working around him, Aaron Ramsey was able to get on the ball more. He ran the show in midfield and it was his best display for years.
“For this Arsenal team, it was a chance to step up and prove that they did not need Sanchez and Ozil to perform.
“This showed the strength of their XI is better than any individual.”
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