Manager heads to season opener at Newcastle lamenting a line-up hit by absence of Mesut Özil and Sead KolasinacIn a world where football did not cause perspectives to warp beyond all reason, and where sport was not fair game for those seeking to achieve malicious ends,
Arsenal would be bouncing to St James’ Park for Sunday afternoon’s match. They are used to entering seasons racked with doubt but the summer’s dealings have been as fruitful as any in memory: a record signing for the attack; the kind of personality they have long lacked at centre-back; one of Europe’s most exciting attacking left-backs for the flank. Perhaps last season’s talk of a new era was more false start than false dawn; almost 15 months into his tenure, this feels like Unai Emery’s squad now.
Yet they arrive in Newcastle severely depleted, and for deplorable reasons. Any substantive analysis of their prospects was put on the backburner when, at around 5.20pm on Friday evening, Arsenal announced Mesut Özil and Sead Kolasinac would not be part of the travelling squad following “further security incidents which are being investigated by the police”. These followed the carjacking ordeal the pair underwent on 25 July, when Kolasinac fought off two men wielding knives after they were attacked in north London.