When Arsenal made Mesut Ozil there best-paid player ever it was seen as a sign that we could still hang on to World Class players, but it would appear that Unai Emery doesn’t even count him as an automatic name on the teamsheet, and the World Cup winner has only started in half of the Gunners games this season.
The Spaniard left Ozil on the bench for 70 minutes of the massive North London Derby last weekend, and he is now likely to play the full game against Rennes tomorrow, allowing Emery to rest one of his players that are certain to start against Man United at the weekend. The Arsenal legend Lee Dixon thinks that Ozil’s massive contract has made the midfielder soft. Dixon told SunSport: “Signing him up on a big deal was seen as a must, not to lose him.
“But the character of the player has to be taken into consideration.
“When you give somebody that amount of money it probably wouldn’t affect some players. But it looks as if it has softened him.
“He doesn’t look driven, he doesn’t look hungry, and when that happens you have a problem.
“You need Ozil firing as well as the ability of the team to carry him at times when he is not quite functioning.
“There is no doubt that the team needs a player like Ozil playing at his best.
“Even an Ozil not quite at his best, because the creativity that seems to be lacking from that midfield area, from the no.10 area, stands out a mile.”
It is a fact that Ozil has not always looked at his best this season when he has been given a chance to impress, and it is also true that he will still be taking home the cash whether he plays or not, so do you think it could be true that he has simply lost his hunger?
Darren N