The German midfielder was influential in a wide role in the win at Cardiff but Unai Emery is entitled to more involvement

Once again Mesut Özil looked across to the side of the pitch and saw his number was up. At Stamford Bridge two weeks ago it felt like a humiliation, the German hauled off by Unai Emery with 22 minutes of a finely poised contest remaining and having to endure ironic cheers from the home supporters on the back of an ineffective display.

This time, on a warm afternoon in the Welsh capital, it was different. Özil was again substituted but with only six minutes left of a game Arsenal were winning and in which this most enigmatic of figures suggested he does have a future at this club, with this manager, after all.

The game was an hour old and drifting towards a 1-1 draw when Özil decided to take matters into his own hands. Having been a peripheral figure, he was suddenly getting on the ball and stitching together Arsenal’s forward momentum. The burst of inspiration unsettled Cardiff and then, on 62 minutes, came the killer moment.

Arsenal edge five-goal thriller against Cardiff thanks to Alexandre Lacazette Read more

Finding himself just inside the opposition half, Özil waited for the precise moment to send the ball towards the feet of Alexandre Lacazette, who in turn spun a pass into the path of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who in turn arrowed a shot into the net. Pass, pass, shot and 2-1 to Arsenal in the blink of an eye.

Aubameyang’s finish was excellent, as was Lacazette’s assist in a contest decided by the latter’s thumping late drive, but the contribution of Özil should not be underestimated. It was he who quickened the tempo, he who moved around players in blue and he who saw a picture in his mind, one that would, and did, lead to a goal.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Özil and Unai Emery shake hands after the final whistle. Photograph: Rebecca Naden/Reuters

It would be unwise to get carried away with Özil’s contribution here given that for large spells he was again on the fringes, but that spell was just what the 29-year-old needed at the end of a week when his contribution to Arsenal, exactly five years after arriving at the club, has been questioned as never before. Did Özil really miss last week’s win against West Ham due to illness? Or were reports of a training ground row with Emery that led to the player refusing to face Manuel Pellegrini’s men true?

The sceptics, of whom there are many given Özil’s numerous absences due to illness, went with the latter and a belief in there being unease behind the scenes would have grown had the player also missed this game. As it was, he started, albeit in a wide-right role, with Aaron Ramsey yet again Arsenal’s No 10.

The selection made sense given Emery’s emphasis on his players pressing from the front. Ramsey gives him that, a trigger in a key central role, and while it is incorrect to say Özil does not press, he is hardly aggressive with his movements. There is a forward step here and there but never quite enough, as seen by the 10 crosses Cardiff delivered from their left wing during the first half alone. Özil simply did not, and does not, do enough to hound opponents. That languid manner is not a facade. It is who he is.

Unai Emery says Mesut Özil needs to adapt to different positions at Arsenal Read more

When Arsenal had possession, Özil was given the licence to roam in order to find pockets of space from where he could get his team going, and yet again he looked to do just that.

The World Cup-winner is accused of being lazy but, in fact, he is always on the move in order to link possession between teammates; the problem is they rarely find him due to his less than imposing manner. Here that changed on 60 minutes when Özil decided to step on the accelerator.

“In the second half he [Özil] played a good match,” said Emery. “He worked every minute but in the second half he had more control in possession and so did better.”

It was a less-than-ringing endorsement from the Spaniard but enough to suggest that, for now, all is well between player and manager. Having retired from international football, Özil can also now rest before Arsenal’s trip to Newcastle United on 15 September. He will expect to start and, in turn, Emery will expect a fuller version of the German’s contribution to his first away victory as Arsenal manager.

Özil did well but he can do better.