As usual Ozil has become the scapegoat for Arsenal’s latest humiliation away from home. From him walking off when being subbed, his body language at the final whistle or him needing to be convinced to acknowledge the away fans, everything he did/didn’t do has been dissected. Yet if he had run off, sat on the bench smiling and clapped the supporters with a grin on his face, would he not have been criticised for that?
What he deserves flack for is being paid the most money in our history and yet fading away the moment he faced any adversity, yet don’t think he’s the only one. The German has proven for years he is too inconsistent to be considered world class, yet he remains one of the best talents we have. If the funds are not available to get any better, offloading him is cutting your nose off to spite your face. Yet I wrote the same when some gooners were patting Unai Emery on the back for forcing out Ramsey.
The TV cameras were quick to capture images of our disappointed manager on the touchline with the midfielder burning a hole through the back of his head. Our boss has to take responsibility if Ozil is showing a poor attitude. This was a man who was quick to discard him at the start of the campaign, in my opinion a PR stunt to show he wasn’t afraid to make the big decisions.
When he was selecting the likes of Iwobi or playing a back 5 ahead of a world cup winner he put huge pressure on himself to ensure he got us back in the Champion’s League. Instead of owning his opinion he suddenly panicked and put his faith back into a man he was clearly trying to freeze out, man management you wouldn’t expect from Arsene Wenger. Then with the final lost, with another Europa League adventure confirmed, he couldn’t help himself, he took another shot at Ozil by bringing him off for a youngster.
Knowing the midfielder would already get a lot of negativity, he put himself ahead of the team. No one can convince me that he generally thought when we needed a goal that Joe Willock was a better option then Ozil. Willock had last featured against Blackpool in January. He hasn’t featured since even when he scored twice in that tie, that’s how little faith there was in him, yet suddenly you trust him in a European final? That to me was a man avoiding bullets and letting someone else receive them.
When Ozil arrived, the dressing room consisted of Sagna, Rosicky, Cazorla, Podolski and Giroud, there was British core of Wilshire, Ramsey, Walcott, the Ox, etc. He’s watched our best individuals sold, not replaced, the club standards dropping every year. He knows this is another summer where the priority will be to save money rather than build a side capable of getting back to old standards. If he’s angry with what is going on at the club, that’s okay with me.
Dan Smith