Ozil’s Lifeline? By Dan Smith
At the start of the week Unai Emery probably had no plans to be using Ozil in any Arsenal squad for the Premiership, Europa League or Carabao Cup. The German has always divided the fan base, so our manager thought he had reached the point where he had gotten away with freezing him out completely, something he clearly wanted to do from day one.
For the first time though support might be tipping in the favour of the player, with the Spaniard no longer getting away with saying nothing, lying that there is zero rift, that the midfielder is training well yet he has better options.
He could get away with that if he were winning games, but he is not, it is constantly being noticed about our lack of creativity.
After Sheffield United it was the most vocal I have heard our fan base in doubting if we have the right coach to take us to the next level, but even Ozil’s biggest critics were pointing out the contradiction that while you’re struggling to break down the Blade’s defence. A man is being asked to sit at home who, since moving to England, only two individuals have bettered his assist record. He would be top of that list if he hadn’t missed so many games.
We know what Ozil can’t do, he won’t run around like Guendouzi, he’s never going to slide in with a tackle and his body language will always be frustrating. Yet it’s counterproductive to punish him for that then whem every other option struggles to produce shots on targets.
Also, in an era where clubs prefer head coach to manager, should Emery be judged on his coaching? Isn’t part of his job from Monday – Friday to get the very best out of what he sees on the training pitch and if he’s not happy, to teach new skills?
Since when has it been okay to just shrug your shoulders and give up on a resource worth 350,000 pounds a week? And if that’s his style why is he only treating a World Cup Winner like that? Shouldn’t he be using Ozil? Why can our current defenders get away with being shocking yet start every week?
The answer of course is the salary, with slashing the wage bill a way to impress the Kroenke family with his contract up for consideration in the summer.
If that’s not the case, then if it’s his judgement that Willock on Monday was more likely to produce a killer through ball, that has to be a sackable offence? Especially when he keeps getting proven wrong. All of this is music to the ears of man who has made it clear he won’t be forced out of North London.
It makes this Thursday a crucial game, a lifeline for Ozil. It’s on him to perform. Many have fought his corner, if he’s given the chance, he needs to make it count so his boss if forced to use him no matter how he feels. We know Ozil is not consistent enough to be world class, no one is pretending everything will change based on one change of personel, but the question should be is he better than 3 DM’s?
Emery will be brave not to at least have him on the bench and if he lights up the Emirates, Emery would be even braver not to feature him on Sunday. However bad the abuse Wenger got in his final two years; he was never pressured into who to pick/not pick. He wouldn’t put someone on the bench just to please the fans. Yet if Wenger was here, Ozil would be playing wouldn’t he?
So would Rambo….
Dan Smith
I just want ozil not to play,so no one will blame him like they always do….he should just enjoy his money till the end of his contract.and go nowhere!!
Oh my, my, my…. The Özil debate again. He is not the answer to the team’s problems, Emery himself is. Substituting Willock or Ceballos for Özil is not going to help the team win more games. They might score 1 more goal here and there due to a pass that we all know he is capable of, but will concede 2 more per game due to Özil’s complete lack of defensive activity and thereby putting the defence under more pressure.
Mesut Özil is not the answer to the team’s dismal performances. The answer is good team tactics, choosing the right players in their best positions, and world class coaching, the latter which is sadly lacking and which should be obvious to anybody that has watched EPL games since January.
not the answer but could he help/ better then what we have?
Ozil is the answer to our creativity problem buh emery has to go first.
Another top notch article, Dan Smith 👍
OT.
Anyone think if Emery was the manager
of Chelsea futbol club he would of
started the following youngsters
against Ajax in Amsterdam and
nicked an impressive result?
Hudson Odoi
Tomori
Tammy Abraham
Mason Mount
Chelshit have there prodigal gaffer
for the next decade or so and AFC
are left with this muppet who
HONESTLY thinks his team were UNLUCKY
to not get a result against a
recently promoted Championship side.
SMFH over and effing over
If Emery does decide to play him he should give him a run of at least 3 games before judging him. He has only been on the pitch for just over two hours this season and needs game time.But I don’t think it’s going to happen because Ozil doesn’t fit into his style of football and he’s right, he doesn’t. He will have to deal with it because it won’t go away even if he wishes it would.
In the meantime he needs to somehow motivate the sorry lot we had to put up with last Monday, not make excuses for them and blame the ref for not giving us penalty. We just did not deserve to win, full stop.
Please explain to me Emery style of play cuz right now I seem to be the most confuse Arsenal Fan.
The Lad doesn’t have any style..
The shallow articles just keep coming..So much speculation..
Then why don’t you write some in-depth stuff?
I’ll remind y’all of something very vague that was exposed last season.
“If he wants to resume his career he has to move and it gets this £350,000 a week problem off Arsenal’s hands. There is also a theory that if he plays he could play well and then the fans demand that he stays and that causes a headache if they’ve made a decision on him.”
David Ornstein on Mesut Ozil last season.
So are y’all surprised they carried on with the búllshít into this season?
Also right now, playing Ozil might pose a big threat to Emery’s authority.
If he ends up playing Ozil and Ozil ends up delivering when he plays, Emery will be on the bad side, trust me, every pundits and the whole fans will come for Emery’s head and question his sanity I’m the first place
Eddie I’ve been calling for Emery’s head for a long time now. I’ve also questioned his mentality, not so much his sanity, for the same amount of time. With the players at his disposal choosing a defensive lineup against weak teams for me is pathetic. And selecting his favourites over players who are clearly better than them is absolutely infuriating.
So what’s your point? You sound like another problem. Are you afraid that Oxil will get a chance to showcase why he is an Arsenal player at the expense of a coach?! So we would better sacrifice the welfare of our players and the general team improvement at the expense of a coach??! Ooh no. I can’t believe your reasoning. Where did we get it all wrong
I think Ornstein was right but the strategy is absolutely stunned. You want to move him so you downgrade the asset to nothing – don’t play him and hope he quits? Right now I kind of like thinking about Ozil sitting at home and getting the $350K. It really is a sign of where the club is at right now.
I can somewhat understand Ozil’s exclusion although think its ill though oyt. For me the bigger outrage is his nonplaying of Tierney in the PL. It absolutely astounds me. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that Kolasinac does better than Tierney. And there us nothing, absolutely nothing, that Kolasinac has done to merit his spot.
And yet odds on that Tierney plays tomorrow and Kolasinac get wheeled out on Sunday. Absolutely astounding.
Unfortunately Trudeau not only Kolasinac but also Sokratis and Xhaka will probably be wheeled out on Sunday. ‘Absolutely astounding’ sums it up well.
Okay. Let Emery start Ozil in our PL home match against Crystal Palace next Sunday to see how far he has improved on his game for Arsenal generally and competitively. And start him in the big Carabao Cup game away to Liverpool but if he has performed well in the Palace match to convince he justifies to start the Liverpool CC match. Then, Emery and us Gooners will see if Emery should from these 2 important matches continuing with start/ playing Ozil or abandon him for the time being until he improves drastically on his game for Arsenal creatively to give assist correctly, score goals by taking his chances to do so and defensively by tracking back when it becomes necessary he should to offer defensive aid to the team’s defence.
You seem to be forgetting the big sign! Ozil ain’t defending..
I think they have enough parts when used properly that he doesn’t have to be a good defender.
Give him a couple of actual games with the first team and see what happens. If he doesn’t help then fine, pay him to stay home. Simply inserting Ozil won’t make the difference, right now Ronaldo or Messi won’t make the difference – the team is set up so poorly with the wrong player…frustrating part for me is that I think they can set up a really strong team, definitely top four with what they have. Stop playing out of the back, never allow the Luiz/Sokratis/Granit combo on the field at the same time, try some different combos at dm/m and have some creativity behind the front. The team has all of this…
Some players need to play tomorrow, unfortunately the majority of them should be in the starting x1 at the weekend, so emery is not likely to play them on Sunday.
I expect this team tomorrow
Martinez
Bellerin Holding Mustafi Tierney
Niles Torreira willock
Ozil Ceballos
Martinelli
But the team I want to see Sunday and for all premier league games is
Martinez
Bellerin Chambers Holding Tierney
Torreira Guendozi Ceballos
Pepe Lacazette Aubameyang
Then for Europa/Carabao
Leno
Sokratis Mustafi Mavropanos
Niles Luiz Xhaka Kolasinac
Ozil Willock
Martinelli
Dan Smith, do you honestly believe that the decision to exclude Mezut Ozil is Emery’s alone? Management would not stand by and let an expensive asset vegetate, without their connivance.
Yes Ozil has had issues with fitness as stated by Emery, Mertesacher and Sanheili; however he is now apparently training well, is fit and ready for selection.
If Ozil doesn’t play, then why isn’t Ceballos selected? As for Torreira, the terrier in front of the back four Arsenal required for years, his non selection is baffling. Similarly the non selection of Tierney and Holding. In fact before his injury, Holding and the much maligned Mustafi were a very effective CB pairing.
Emery needs to quickly refocus, because he has really let me and many others down.
Its just not only about Ozil. No doubt he is our most creative and innovative player, but why was Torreira not playing his usual DM position, which he does so well for Uruguay. Why was KT and Holding not there? Which world is Emery living in? To compound our misery Chelsea has beaten Ajax away. When will we get happy results in tough away fixtures.(When Emery leaves?)
Lol.
The shirt sellig genius has been finished for mpre than 4 years here at Arsenal.
Imagine the delusion and denial his fanbase must be in.
The guy has been the same old no substance excuses galore social media celebrity.
Imagine the scene where he our saviour when he has never been. How people forget that he is not the type to do anything against any serious or pragmatic teams away. I can never remember any away game against any EPL club that he has done anything apart from the same old disappearing when the going get tough.
This is a recurring theme each season where his fan crowd assure us of how we need and miss him in the team. He is brought back and Excuses galore for his poor nonexistent performances.
“But he has the likes of Xhaka behind him”
“But look at the defense behind him”
“But the manager this then manager that, wenger is rubbish and finished so ain’t got a clue how to get the best of out him. The german manager, teammates and the whole Germany are racist s so can’t get the best out of him. Emery is a Championship manager that clearly can’t get the best out of him”
“But the system and formation is crap and does not suit or get the best out of him”
“But the likes of Auba, Laca etc are wasting the chances he keep creating for him”
“But he needs 10 defensive player behind him to cover for his lazy, weak attitude”
“But he needs world class player like he in Madrid, The German national team ot those at Man City in order show how good he is”.
“But you need runners for him to perform”
“But you need a manager that can put an arm around him and tell him he is the most beautiful and amazing player in the world”.
“But but the EPL Refs and players are UFC fighters and football player that why”
“Needs better players arounf him”
“But the EPL, British, English football fans / media mentality hates technically gifted player like him. They prefer the likes of Charlie Adams and Stoke find of wrestlers etc”.
“The stars have got to align, we should also have a lunar eclipse, solar eclipse, it has to be a perfect spring day etc in order to get the best out of him”
Have i left out any other excuse that we have been served about why our shirt selling genius has been so underwhelming and disappointing during his Arsenal career? If I have please can you send them by Post?
For real. Just wait, if he is given a run of games you are going to hear these same old tired / recycled excuses for his normal 5 or 6 out of 10 performances. Blaming everyone and everything apart from him.
Watch 😊
Honestly I don’t understand. Ozil has great preseason and his two cameo appearances were good. If his workrate in training is lacking, I recall Carlos Tevez is similar in that regard, but he works his socks off in matches, when it really matters.
I get Ozil doesn’t defend, but in the last match did we need defensive players? We had an awful lot of possesion but no one to create something out of it.