You have to give the new Arsenal coach Unai Emery credit for giving game-time to the players that he thinks are in form and the right style to fit into his game-plan, no matter what their reputation is in the wider world. This week it was Mesut Ozil that was dropped against Bournemouth, with Emery saying that he had expected “a very demanding match with physicality and intensity,”.
There are many fans saying that Ozil should play every time if he is fit, but being Mr Marmite a lot of fans think he should stay on the bench, but he just needs reminding that he isn’t undroppable sometimes. As Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said on Sky: “He has to put the manager in a position that he is the first one on that sheet,” Hasselbaink said of Ozil.
“And at the moment he is not doing that.
“He’s not creating enough, as we know he can. He has to start producing week in, week out.
“What this manager is bringing to Arsenal now is nobody is safe of a place.
“You have to produce and that’s why they are stronger.
“That’s why you see a kind of urgency in their game.
“And I think he is trying to give Ozil at times a kick under the bum.”
Without Ozil’s ‘silky skills’, we still managed to grind out a win at Bournemouth, so it would seem that Emery’s gamble (if it was a gamble?) to leave out our most highly-paid star has paid off. And if it has taught Ozil a lesson then it will all have been worth it.
The question is; Will Ozil take heed and up his game?
Darren N
Of course Emery is 100% spot on this.
Ozil needs to know who is the boss, i cant wait for him to leave Arsenal…
Unfortunately, i dont think he will ever change his approach, and even if he does, it wont last long as he can never be consistent.
The problem with Ozil is just too much and the sooner we get rid of him, the better for Emery and Arsenal
I must agree , despite the sublime talent he chooses so rarely to show by working hard. My stance on ALL lazy players, no matter who, is well known on here. I was Weed Walcott’s implacable foe from his first season as he was frail, timid and worst of all BONE IDLE. PLAYERS WITH THESE HANDICAPS ARE ABOUT AS MUCH USE AS A CHOCOLATE FIREGUARD TO ANY TEAM WITH REAL AMBITION.Hasten the day when all Wengers idle players are gone.
The problem with ozil’s situation is due to his wage and reputation in the team. We are expecting too much from him which i don’t think he is capable of because he is a luxury player who shouldn’t be expected to carry a team and be the main man but his salary says otherwise. When you are payed that kind of money, people would expect consistency which he hasn’t shown as ozil mostly shines when he is given the space to, it’s why he can look like the best no 10 in one game and look completely terrible in the next. A club like arsenal shouldn’t have players like ozil as we need value for money than most top clubs due to our strategy when it comes to spending money. Arsenal is an underdog amongst the top teams in the premier league so we need every player fighting. The solution is either ozil rises to the challenge and meet the expectations or leave so we can put the money to good use.
You are a hater!
Yet another let’s bash Ozil topic! Yippee!
So I’ve just read that Mike Dean will be the ref on Sunday… that’s got a spud win written all over it ?
Sue, Ozil needs the bashing, i really commend you for your undying support for him. That said, just of curiosity, i would like to know who you would rather have in the No.10 position between Ozil and Cazorla..
As for Mike Dean, now we will if he hated Wenger or Arsenal as a whole, but then i still fancy our chances of getting something out of that game
Just out of**
Now we will know**
Well I don’t think he’s the only one that needs bashing Goonerboy…. I will give credit where it’s due & I will moan & grumble when it’s needed….these kinda articles do my head in!! I know how all the Iwobi fans feel ?
Ooh that’s a tough one… I really liked Cazorla… hmmm I’m not sure.. when he’s at his best Ozil ?
Yes but to me Dean is a complete bell end, so it wouldn’t surprise me if we ‘concede’ a penalty or have a player sent off
Yes and where is it that Emery gave Ozil a kick up the Jacksie? Correct, he didn’t, it’s as you say, another anti Ozil article.
Let’s face it Declan, Ozil is absurdly overpaid. There will always be an anti-Ozil article. Anyways Ozil for me right now is not my main concern, Mkhitaryan is. Man’s got to go.
Agree, no one is worth paying that obscene amount.
Ozil is the most overrated and overhyped player i have ever come across at Arsenal in my decades as a gooner. Absolute fraud player.
I say sell him and Mkhitaryan in the summer and give the money to Emery to buy his own type of player.
Sue, that is the issue with him right there!
Why do we always say about Ozil, “when he is at his best”…
It means he is seldom at his ‘best” and that to me, means he is not just good enough, Cazorla is far far better in every sense of it, even Rosicky was.
No player has had excuses after excuses made for him (i dont wanna be mentioning that)
No player has ever be so divisive in recent years.
I think your likeness for Ozil goes beyond football as i also have for Giroud.
But even as much as like Giroud, i knew he wasnt good enough and have said it here more than once
Cant wait for you to also admit Ozil is not good enough..??
Mike Dean and penalties against Arsenal is almost a guarantee, but like i said, with Wenger gone, lets hope to see a positive change, i keep saying this because imo, i think MD likes to see Wenger suffer.
I think we (or maybe just me ?) could carry on this debate for hours!!
It only takes a split second for that key pass that he’s more than capable of… as I’ve said many times before I’d rather he was in the team than not… I think we play better with him, but hey that’s just my opinion.
Uh no I don’t fancy him, I just think he’s a joy to watch… And believe it or not a while back I did whinge about him ? sometimes he frustrates me when he just tries to roll the ball past the keeper… don’t tap it just whack it!! He’s not that type of player though, he’s not a big beast like Sead. You’ll be waiting a long time for that ??
That makes Sunday even more interesting Goonerboy!!
Hey let’s just sell everyone and start again?
Bellerin, Xhaka, Elneny, Ozil, Welbz, Mustafi, Sokratis, Iwobi, Mikhi…… anyone I’ve forgotten?
Then what?
Don’t you think, as I believe you probably do, that Ozil IS good enough BUT chooses not to work hard enough , thus negating most of his effectiveness , on all but a few rare days when he fancies it? I am constantly telling other Gooners not to hype LAZY players as Ozil certainly is. So was Walcott AND so are Mkhi and Auba. They just don’t put enough effort into matches; it is as simple as that. It is tragic when we consider the immense natural talent OZIL has but which he largely wastes by laziness and frail mental and physical state. Auba gets away with it to some extent as his scoring and assist stats are good. But Guardiola as the worlds best manager refuses to settle for talent alone and drives his players on to new heights of excellence underpinned by ferociously hard word. Or they are dropped! Emery is trying hard to do likewise but no manager can put bravery, committment and will never to be beaten into ANY player if it is not natuirally within him. That is clearly truth. I called out Walcott for laziness and timidity from the virtual start of his Arsenal career and he wasted a decade in our shirt and we wasted a decade with a lazy player who just had not the courage nor guts to fancy working as he should. Ozil , blessed with far more natural gifts than ever Walcott was, is similarly wasting his career and seems only really motivated by money. Hence him signing a foolish(by the club) new deal. Honest fans need to see how things actually are and stop fooling themselves that things are not as they clearly are. Ozil IS lazy, so is Mkhi and both should be sold when suitable replacements can be found. It is bonkers and I choose that word deliberately, to EVER think that titles are won with lazy players. You all know this is true!
Emery is spot on, and we’ll see if Ozil will sink or swim, but I’d say he’s sinking given his performances so far.
For all those who keep stating that we cannot do without Ozil:
Total Appearances: 12 from 19 games
Wins with Ozil: 7 from 12 games
Lost with Ozil: 2 from 12 games
Wins without Ozil: 6 from 7 games
Lost without Ozil: 0 from 7 games
16 goals in 7 games without Ozil
So we’re scoring fine without him, and we’re unbeaten. Of course football is a team sport, and we haven’t played any top teams without him, but one also has to recognise that Ozil has done nothing in a our big games so far this season.
Finally, before the fan boys whinge about another Ozil article, and why aren’t we bashing other under performers as well. Well we DO bash them! Mustafi, Xhaka, Ramsey, etc, do not escape criticism. The reason Ozil gets it more is because the likes of Mustafi, Xhaka, Ramsey, etc, are NOT WC talents on a huge wage. I expect them to play badly most of time, because they are average players. But given Ozil’s monster wage, and fact I am constantly being told he’s WC, and we need him, then I expect consistent, top quality performances…which he NEVER delivers, especially in big games. Hence the extra, but warranted criticism.
I think Emery is quickly seeing that we can easily live without Ozil.
Who’s fault is it for giving him that crazy wage??? As much as I like him, I don’t think he should be on that much… I don’t think ANY PLAYER is worth that sort of money!
But even if you take his wage out of the equation, and focus purely on his performances, then he’s still not good enough. Of course it’s not Ozil’s fault Arsenal were stupid enough to offer him that. It’s just frustrating because we could his use his wage to fund TWO players, who may give us better performances.
Ozil has been and still is a rest player trying to adapt to an Emery system. To be clear I don’t think any of the front players have fired under the Emery system due to the fact that we struggle to play out from the back where it is quite clear this is where the problem lies. Get this right and we might manage to get the team functioning as a unit. To blame Ozil who has repeatedly proved himself at club and international level shows naivety and lack of understanding by so callled Atsenal supporters and I actually wonder how many have played football or an sport at a top level. Any top sportsman will tell you that there is genius in simplicity and all top players appear unrushed and have time to play which is what Ozil has. In fact he doesn’t really have anything to prove to Emery. Emery is still trying to work things out. Believe me he is a long way from achieving that. Do Arsenal fans know her the highest ever German goal scorer is in the Premier league is. It is Mesut Ozil one of our own. The one that so called Arsenal supporters are so Quick to put the knife into
?
Also ThirdMan I don’t think any player is irreplaceable… yes I was distraught when Wright, Henry, Petit & Podolski went, I didn’t think we’d cope without them (mainly Wright & Henry) but we did… life goes on….
I get what you’re saying, and in most cases you’re right. Ronaldinho leaves Barca, but then Messi comes through, and when Messi leaves/retires, I am sure Barca will sign a WC striker.
But with Arsenal, that hasn’t been the case. It’s been 11 years, and we definitely haven’t coped with Henry’s departure. Only now with Aubameyang, we may FINALLY have an Henry replacement.
We haven’t won as much as I would have liked obviously… but we’ve always been there or thereabouts.
Yes Auba is a goal machine…. He’s got to add to his tally on Sunday COYG
Thirdman
Apart from not being on #ya350kaweekya# those you have mentioned give their all in EVERY game, eventhough they are average and that sometimes goes a long way in placating fans.
In fact, as this stage, i would prefer Xhaka in that no10 role ahead of Ozil, and then pair Guendouzi with Torreira
Xhaka has the one thing Ozil has- pass, and he offer more in terms of shooting amd defending.
Third Man , I salute you on writing a profoundly true, fully explained and rational post with full perspective . I would love to have far more of these “tell it as it is, not as we would like it to be” truthful and above all REALISTIC posts on this site.
Please sue do not compare Ozil with carzola,I don’t need to check the stat to see who is better,Ozil is so overrated to the extent that some even compare him to iniesta,you talk about iwobi,we all know he is an average player,thanks to the coach who is getting more out of him,but what about your so called world class player who doesn’t perform,I think you comparing Ozil with carzola is an embarrassment to carzola,check out his assist against athletico this season and also his two assist last weekend,even roscisky played better and consistently than mesut,i will never forget his goal against the spuds,Ozil this Ozil that,if he’s not sick he will be on the pitch playing badly,I will take any less talented hardworking midfielder ahead of him anytime anyday.
Well let’s hope for your sake & everyone else’s on here that he’s benched again on Sunday… so then we haven’t got to go through this again on Monday!!
Btw I loved that thunderbolt from Rosicky against the spuds…. absolutely brilliant!! Loved the celebration after.. with Giroud practically throttling him ??
I wonder what Ozil really does in training. Why not practice cutting in from the right flank and unleashing a 25 yard cracker right into the top corner. He has that quality and with enough practice he’ll become perfect but his laziness won’t let him.
Th14,
You are probably asking too much of him there, Ozil already believes the hype that he is the best no10 in the world(due to his achievements in Spain) therefore no need to learn.
He even hates to play on the wings and if he does he will be a liability as he wont track back.
Carzola played left and right wing and was even deployed in central mid yet he excelled.
“I prefer to play behind the striker” what has he done playing there? Pass and pass and pass, zero goal threat, one dimensional, slow, predictable and above all laziness!
The biggest frustration is, no one will take him off our hands now, hence my rantings
Most of the worlds best number 10s have that in their arsenal. Being able to work the keeper from at least 25 yards but not our own Ozil…
Me too sue I will never forget that goal,am very sure that if we use Ozil in that game he will just be bully off the balk by dembele,I see some are happy that trippier is out of the game but am more worried about aurier pace and strength,I hope kolasinac is ready for a fight,I think mustafi will keep Kane quiet,he turns up for this kind of matches but disappoint in lesser games,and for those saying sokratis should be benched because he had a “bad game”on Sunday,am glad you are not the coach,we need character like him in this kind of match,a no nonesense defender who can’t be bully and don’t forget he hasn’t played in a while .
I want Sokratis to play – I’ve been pleasantly surprised by him… the only thing that does worry me is if he grabs hold of Kane (like he did against Bournemouth) Mike Dean won’t think twice about giving them a penalty!!
Of course Mesut will be bullied by Dembele… he is easily muscled off the ball…but I still hope he makes it, then if he’s not doing that well then he’ll be subbed… which is how it should be (not just with Ozil)
????…..
Someone here is so scared of MD…?
By leaving out Ozil on more than one occasion this season, Emery has displayed strong Management, something that his predecessor lacked in the final 4/5 years of his stewardship.This augers well for the future as a number of players need to be shipped out before Emery can reshape and bring real quality to his squad.In Leno,Torreria and Guendouzi he has bought well and hopefully this trend will continue to take us to the next level.The problem is who on earth would match the wages paid to the likes of Ozil,Mustafi, Kolasinac etc.In the case of Ozil i fear he will never be able to improve his work rate in line with our Manager,s requirements but will continue to frustrate Emery and fans alike
Is it too much to ask for a Young Boys win tonight??
I like the way Emery goes about it. He takes responsibility and he shows, who is in charge. At the same it seems all players are told, what he expects from them individually and as a team.
I don’t see this as a specific kick in the backside to anyone.
Emery just shows every player, that he will set the team, he thinks can get the best result.
End of story.
The most frustrating thing to me about Ozil isn’t even his inconsistency. It’s his poor goal return. A player like that should have alot more goals. In fact his inconsistent performances would actually be alot better if he were scoring a few more goals to actually contribute to the result.
He is being rested for Spurs…
Ozil is like Mkhi, Xhaka and I hate to say Lacazette…all hype men the fans wanted and celebrated on arrival but in reality haven’t lived up to expectations. I hope laca proves me wrong but from what I’ve seen of him his overall game doesn’t set the world alight.
It has only been over the last three games that his overall game has dived a little bit, but he scored the Liv equalizer all the same and put in some fine pressing and defensive work on the day.
Lacazette was in red hot form not too long ago. His all round game was very good, better than very, and for a good spell. Himself and Auba were linking up well and the reason why we look to have goals in us, is because of those two.
Pundits as well as others are having allot to say about some of our defending, but do you hear any of them complaining about the bluntness of Arsenal’s attack, I don’t. Lacazette has started centrally in almost every game we play, do you see Emery taking him off when the man is afraid to take no-one off, none are exempt in Emery’s eye. I feel you meant to say something, which had a point to it, but you then went too far with it.
I don’t think you’ll get many fans to agree with you, unless it is coming from some who wanted to see Aubameyang starting centrally, before the season began, even though there is not one wide player in this league who’re anywhere close to Auba’s numbers. He’s tied with Aguero in top spot. Seriously mate, you need a rethink, even listening to the boring Alan Shearer was sounding exciting as he was sharing his own insight into Lacazette’s strengths.
At his best he is world class
That’s the problem!
He is rarely at his best
I don’t know if it’s laziness or physically not fit enough
I remember the summer before he had his 19 assists season, he was on a rigorous weight lifting program. When he came back to training he was significantly bigger and stronger. That probably helped
But he went back to the old Ozil we have today
Now the question we need to ask is:
Is it worth it to pay a player £300,000 per week for playing top quality football once in a while?
Another point is that Mkhitaryan is a decent player but isn’t the quality central attacking midfielder owed a quality wingers that we need to improve
I see our Euro game venue has been changed at the last minute to Kiev which I think is over 300 miles away from original place. Wonder how our travelling fans will cope?