Arsenal fans! I just don’t think you understand Mesut Ozil

The Arsenal and Germany international star Mesut Ozil has his own little ditty that the Arsenal fans sing about him and it goes to the catchy tune of the Billy Ray Cyrus (father of Miley if you are too young to remember) number from 1992, Achy Breaky Heart.

There is nothing strange about that but what has struck me is that the words we sing, ‘we’ve got Ozil, Mesut Ozil, I just don’t think you understand’ are quite ironic, because I think that a lot of Arsenal fans and members of the football media just do not understand Ozil and what he brings to the team.

On Tuesday night in Paris for example, when Ozil produced the killer ball that split the PSG defence and led to our unlikely equaliser, the reaction from the TV guys was along the lines of, well he has been poor but finally did something decent. Decent? If someone like Messi had done that they would be purring about it all night.

The problem is that we have got used to Ozil doing stuff like that, which no one but him sees and which leaves defenders looking like they have forgotten what they are supposed to be doing for a minute. The other problem is that the media have been banging on for so long about his body language and the way he seems to be putting no effort in that I think it starts to be taken in.

I have written reports on here before after games when Ozil is said to have disappeared but the stats showed he was one of the hardest workers. If I was to say that Ozil was a bit off the pace yesterday then not many would argue, but a Metro report reveals that he actually broke his own personal EPL record by completing 104 passes against Hull City. 104!

Just let that sink in for a moment. 104. For a central midfielder that would be amazing but for a number 10 trying to produce clever little passes to break down a defence it is nothing short of astounding. Just imagine how good he would be if he could shoot!

Seriously though, let’s have a bit more appreciation for the awesome talent that is Mesut Ozil and let’s try to understand him a bit more shall we?

Bob.

20 Comments

  1. Ozil has already stated in the past that his body language has no relevance to his actual mood, he even made a big effort last season to try and look more happier on the field of play?
    I didn’t find a good enough stream to be able to watch the Hull game but I’m guessing that 80% of those passes were simple short pass backs from where he received the ball from etc. Its now considered normal for Ozil to see alot of the ball, So these stats don’t mean much without an end product… Ya Ozil Ya ⚽

    1. Said this earlier but say it again:

      Last season his record breaking assist run started on GW 6, September 26th. So I believe the efficiency is coming and hopefully it starts with Chelski!

      1. So maybe he is a little bit off form but ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’. Lets show our players some love and make them feel at home obviously we are within our rights to call a player or even the manager to task but lets not do so with scorn.

      2. So maybe he is a little bit off form but ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’. Lets show our players some love and make them feel at home obviously we are within our rights to call a player or even the manager to task but lets do so with scorn.

    2. Ozil barley got flack during the weekend, dont even understand where the article is coming from. Walcott played well and he still got more flack than Mesut did. Even I said Walcott looked good on Saturday, and I don’t rate him, but he had a good game. Some people get very touchy when it comes to certain players.

  2. “If someone like Messi had done that they would be purring about it all night.”

    If Ozil had done the Iwobi assist, everyone would have been purring all night. Heck, he probably would have got MOTM for that alone even if he did little else. Set the bar low for the King of Assists, and impossibly high for everyone else!

  3. Let us stop this one rule for other players and one for ozil. Ozil has been under performing this season and even in past 3 seasons he performs very inconsistently. He sometimes thinks he is bigger than the club and you cannot appreciate that.

  4. Ridiculous article. Great, he completed passes, but he had zero end-product to his game on Hull. Why is it all of a sudden a crime to say a player didn’t have the best of games? We understand Ozil perfectly, which is why we know when he under performs. Nobody is going after Ozil as a player, and I’m sure we’ll see him at his best again soon. Meanwhile, Iwobi, Walcott, Sanchez were all excellent in attack during the weekend, and Theo is a player who has something to prove, so good for him.

  5. Am tired with this assist king talk. Ozil should work harder for the team and be more decisive in big games. In big games he goes missing. I remember just 2 big games he played well. Napoli at home and Manchester United at home.
    If Walcott played like Ozil everyone would be talking about his wages. Look at the sitter Ozil missed? People will defend him by saying he is not a striker. He is a professional footballer. As a number 10 he is a second striker and should be scoring more goals in this Arsenal team.

    Fans have made Ozil to feel he is too good for Arsenal. I have ben saying this for the last few weeks . He is better than what he is doing. Just look at David Silva and kevin de Byurne.

    I want more from Ozil. Thats all i got to say really. To whom more is giving more is expected. He is alot better than that. He should be fighting more for the team. I really don’t care about stars.

    1. Cazorla best season for Arsenal, 12 goals 12 assists 9 MOTM
      Ozil best season for Arsenal, 8 goals 19 assists 6 MOTM

      Ozil is world class, Cazorla is just very good

  6. Also
    Coquelin: 96 accurate passes, 98% completion rate
    Ozil: 104 accurate passes, 95% completion rate
    Using articles logic, Coquelin is on the same level as Ozil

  7. The whippet lovers out in force again .. Apparently a couple of decent crosses the occasional appearance around his own box and a goal and he’s on a par with messi … Ignore all the poor touches and failed dribbles … If us want to watch a quality wing player destabilize defences watch mahrez … Ozil or Walcott ???ask any manager of any top team in Europe who they would take and get back to me …

  8. I have been more impressed with Santi Cazorla, than with a Ozil, why so, i have said it many times if a player operates in the number 10 slot his goal tally must be in the teens and not single digits.

    I will say though that i have seen improvement of him getting in the box to try and finish chances, which is an improvement, although he has been poor in the last three matches, from what i have seen i think he may improve in the goal scoring area this season. He also missed a sitter in the match and if it was any other player it would have received a lot more mentions, especially if it was Walcott or Giroud ( the bias of fans)

    I am hoping he finds his form and walcott continues to improve in play, both are not my favorite players, but they do add value to the team

  9. I don’t know why some people are so impressed with Ozil. Just because he came from Real Madrid, cost £42 Mil doesn’t put him in a class above all else.

    Like one of the comments from above. He can find the occasional pass or do something worthwhile but generally his end product is very limited and when you look at his overall performance it’s very languid an uninspiring. I don’t want to see a guy with a fantastic pass but who doesn’t put any other worthwhile or notable effort.

    For a player that seems to get the plaudits he does, he rarely scores, not one to get involved in a scrap with a boisterous opposition midfield, doesn’t score that often. Yeah, he finds the odd pass but the majority of his passes are in vain.

    We need less of him and more of the likes of Xhaka, Coquelin and Elneny more steel less flower power

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