Ainsley Maitland-Niles has described Mesut Ozil as the best player he has played with while answering questions on Twitch.
The Englishman isn’t involved in the current international window and agreed to answer some questions from the club’s fans.
The Q&A happened on the official Arsenal Twitch account and when one fan asked him who the best player he has played with was, he took some time and named the German.
Ozil and Maitland-Niles were teammates from 2017 when the 24-year-old started becoming a regular until 2021 when the German left for Fenerbahce.
Maitland Niles has spent time on loan at Ipswich Town and West Brom, but he has never played with a player better than Ozil.
He described the German as being timed and calculated, adding that although he doesn’t play fast, he still has a lot of time on the ball to use it decisively.
The baffled Arsenal star is still trying to make sense of Ozil’s skilfulness.
“With him he’s so timed and calculated. Everything he does has a purpose as well,” Maitland-Niles said.
“You just can’t get near him, if you’re not on his team, you can’t get near him.
“I’ve never seen a guy that plays in such slow motion, but he always has time on the ball, doesn’t make sense.”
Yeah right. Just that giving ageing stars new contracts AT ARSENAL (not at other clubs) will never turn out well
Whatever be it, however divisive Ozil was, his personal opinions about things happening around other than football, his stubbornness regarding certain issues very dear to his heart, one cannot live in denial about his quality on the ball. At his peak years for RM, Germany and Arsenal, Ozil was unplayable, unstoppable, a pure artist in motion and a real genius. Arsenal has had very few players like him in their history and the only sad thing is that it should have ended the way it did. I always loved and enjoyed to watch this phenomenal player play, made it look so easy with his mastery on the ball, both commanding and demanding. Sad that various reasons unrelated to pure footballing matters got more attention than they deserved and he became a very polarising figure. But there was and there will be only one Ozil, unquestionable and undeniable talent at its very best, shone not only in club football but on the very biggest of stages in world football with Germany winning the Wrld Cup.
” REASONS UNRELATED TO PUR FOOTBALLING MATTERS?”.
Ye Gods! Id say that long lasting laziness and lack of fight were EXTREMELY related to footballing matters!
We are all given eyes but only SOME choose to use them to see the long lasting reality of his COASTING time here!
HERO WORSHIP OF AN HABITUALLY IDLE PLAYER IS WAY BEYONG FOOLISHNESS.
But as you never actually played alongside him Jon, why don’t you take notice of someone who did?
Perhaps gunnerforlife’s post along with AMN’s thoughts, are just too much for you, but perhaps you might want to read the thoughts of one of our greatest ever players, Dennis Bergkamp?
But I guess he doesn’t know as much as you do about the player…. and he explains it PERFECTLY without any capital letters whatsoever…. funny old game as they say!!
Can someone please remind me of the peak Ozil years at Arsenal where he was unplayable or unstoppable? As I can’t seem to be able to remember them. Having one good game here and there after every 8 is not what I could label as unstoppable or unplayable.
😊
Niles has raised an impotant subject.
What makes a good football player?
How much is physical talent?
How much is footballing nous?
How much is dicpline?
How much is concentration?
How much is ambition?
How much is playing in a team suited to your particular skill set?
How much is the manager?
Niles seems to be saying “How is it that (Ozil) this otherwise ordinary athlete was impossible to contain. The corollary being how is it that so many great athletic footballers like Niles are so easy to contain? Maybe that is why so many early developing athletic footballers do well in the academy but when they step up to senior grades they don’t have enough footballing nous to counter the tougher press. Maybe youngsters should be encouraged to not solely rely on athleticism but develop footballing nous also from an early age.
Niles has said it all….there is only one Ozil.