Ozil’s Last Dance? by AI
When news that Arsenal had signed Ozil broke in the summer of 2014, it sent the fanbase into a reverie not seen since Sol Campbell appeared with Arsene Wenger at a press conference with a mischievous smile, and for good reason. Mesut Ozil was the world’s premier playmaker, clocking an astounding 80 assists in three seasons at Real Madrid. Arsenal had signed one of the most talented professionals in the world and that was enough to send a success-starved fanbase into heaven.
77 assists, three FA cups, and 350,000 euros a week later, Ozil is on the fringes of the squad, ignored by two consecutive managerial appointments. Has it been worth it?
Yes, all things considered. Ozil led Arsenal’s strongest push for the title in years. Ozil made Arsenal competitive again. Ozil gave us moments worth their weight in gold. Who can forget the goal against Ludogorets? A thing of such kinetic beauty it’s a wonder why it is not yet a United Nations heritage moment. Ozil was a star in his prime playing for The Arsenal and other stars came in his wake. Imagine if we did not have Ozil in the late Wenger years, how less of a side we would have been.
Now it is his last season. Unless he takes an unprecedented paycut, Ozil will leave England. He has repeated it again and again: he is available to play if the coach chooses him. Why, then, is Ozil constantly out of the squad? Perhaps all the rumours about the clauses in his contract if he plays or is an unused substitute explain it. One thing is clear, Arsenal pay less when Ozil does not play. But how does it make sense, when you agreed to pay so much and suddenly realize you might have agreed to too much.
When Mikel Arteta came in, he promised each and every player a new slate. Ozil came back in and performed well. And then he was out again. Maybe the suits in the upper offices had informed Arteta that the mercurial 10 couldn’t continue playing. Maybe Ozil suddenly stopped training well, or maybe the club has agreed across the board that Ozil’s performances, while still potentially good, was just not worth all the money he would be paid. And you wonder why Ozil refused to take a further cut to his wages.
Arteta has recently been upgraded to the status of manager which means he gets more power in the decisions taken up there. Maybe that will represent a new break for Ozil, whose time at Arsenal will now be defined by all these maybes.
If Ozil gets his break, then this season represents Ozil’s last dance in England. Arsenal currently suffer from a dire lack of creativity and Ozil being reintegrated back into the squad can serve as an internal answer to that.
He has shown several times in his career that he can put in the work and graft to play for Mourinho and Arteta amonst others. We all know that a renaissamce is not beyond the possible and that there’s nothing better than a curtain closer.
If the droopy German can help Arsenal qualify for the Champions League, he can leave with a good legacy and Ozil would have been definitely worth it.
Agboola Israel
Ozil will never play another Premier league game for Arsenal.He is not in Arteta’s plans.Why do you think Atrteta is after Partey and Aouar?
no woorries, one daylight will come when arteta will see no one to play due to injuries and he will have no option accept the rejected now and that day the rejected OZIL will have all his slasher tactics to make the coach to think
Ozil is finished. We’ve improved immensely without that money grabbing fraud.
Apart for losing to City ……and Brighton …..and Spurs …..and not having a shot on target at Villa Park ?
Dan Smith: You have a way with words sir and I for one am learning.
Partey and Aouar combined do not rise to the level of Ozil.
I concur
You are delusional. Ozil won’t even be in the premier league squad this season unless arsenal can move on enough players to bring Partey and Aouar in. Why do you think he isn’t even selected for the bench? We have the money to buy both the problem the club has is that it has to move on four non homegrown players to bring those two in plus a keeper to replace Martinez that is unless any of the non homegrown players aren’t selected in squad. Ozil is impossible to sell because of his wages and has refused a pay out so the club will just sit him if they have to and run his contract out so they can bring in the players they want. If Ozil was smart he would take the payout and move on but he wants every dollar owed him which is fair except a year sitting out isn’t going to help him with his next contract.
@Matthew Shannon: “Ozil won’t even be in the premier league squad this season”.
One can only assume you verified that statement with Artera.
But they play totally different style of football. They cannot be compared truly speaking.
The introduction to the squad of having Ozil gave us that push to win again, to claim our FA Cup. I think it reshaped the mentality of our squad.
But the game changes every season. The game is so tactical now, if you dont do your bit then you let the system down. At the moment I cant even see Ozil getting in the leeds team that scored 3 against liverpool!!
Saying that, ozil could have a final say on his arsenal career. If he accepts 30 mins 20 mins sub role. Most clubs would be saying ‘I wouldn’t mind having Ozil coming on for my club’.
With the fa cup Europea Cup and the outside shot at the league.
I don’t think Ozil will even make the squad. The problem the club has bringing players in isn’t financial it’s the amount of non homegrown players in the squad. To bring in Partey, Aouar and Runarsson we need to lose four non homegrown players. Sokratis and Torriera look like moving which leaves two more. Guendouzi has refused two clubs already which is proving difficult but hopefully interest from Valencia proves fruitfall which leaves one. Ozil would ideally be the one because of his wages which is why the club has tried to buy him out but he wants it all and his wages make him almost impossible to sell so the other course of action the club can do is not select him in squad then they can bring those three in obviously if they have sold three others. Mustafi might also be a option or Bellerin. They havnt selected Ozil in squad for that reason. By not selecting him allows club to bring in a non homegrown player and with options to sell hard to do it looks like that’s what the club is doing which is why he hasn’t been selected for friendly, community shield or first game this season.
Matthew Shannon:
“They havnt selected Ozil in squad for that reason. “By not selecting him allows club to bring in a non homegrown player and with options to sell hard to do it looks like that’s what the club is doing which is why he hasn’t been selected for friendly, community shield or first game this season.”
So what was the friendly match behind-closed-doors at the Emirates on July 26, 2020″ ?
bet he will
Great footballer in his younger days.
One of the best in his position in entire history. Mercurial talent no doubt. Fantastic human being and kind hearted.
All that being said, it’s sad he’s declined. Players come and go, players rise and decline. Ozil done do his fair share, he’s been on decline for a couple of years.
I love the man, I loved the footballer more than anyone else when he joined, that don’t mean I hate the footballer now though.
I’ve just come to terms with the fact that he’s not the footballer I loved anymore, time to let go. He’s declined and he really can’t live up to our expectations. It’s why fans keep complaining everyday, not me, I don’t complain about him because I know what to expect from him.
You’ll be clearly delusional if you expect Ozil to put up his prime performance this season.
There’ll always be moments and flashes of brilliance, but to expect him to do what he used to do is called asking for too much.
He’s just another player now that has played his best football and need to just go enjoy himself in another club with less pressure.
The delusion is the same thing as Spurs fans expectations from Dele Alli?
That one is very sad, Alli peaked at 22. I can’t believe a player peaked at 22, his best years are behind him. All he does now is play average, he will have flashes of brilliance once a while, but he won’t do it the way it’s needed anymore.
An there’s no shame in that.
I see no shame in a player declining, it’s only sad when it happens early.
Ozil declined earlier than other world class players do too.
This season I really have nothing against him just like last season, I have no expectations from him.
When he plays, if he performs I’ll applaud him, if he doesn’t perform, there’s no point moaning because I know I wasn’t expecting him to.
At the end of the season, the relationship between both parties will end.
There’ll be peace, the man will find peace and happiness elsewhere, and Arsenal will move on and find peace in its fanbase too
Eddie, I am honestly quite touched at how kind, mature and sheer nice you are! Though much older than you, as I believe, I cannot even approach your big heart. My many comments on Ozil are well known and will not be repeated ever again. I have sworn not to talk about him directly ever again, after his post!
Haha yeah Jon you’re definitely much older than I am. Its why even when we don’t agree on views, I still respect your opinions, and thanks for the compliment.
I just learnt earlier how to live and deal with whole Ozil debacle.
The moment you accept he’s not going back to his former self and you expect less from him, then you stop worrying about if he plays or not, because at the end of the season? He’ll be gone, so patience from my side is the game right now
Sincerely Eddie, you are one of a kind, I really like your comments and your observation on every thing concerning Arsenal, keep it up guy… You are great… Please don’t forget to tell us about latest transfer concerning Partey and Aouar or any other transfer related to Arsenal…. You are blessed…
One of the finest comments in the history of this site, Eddie.
👏
Yes, very refreshing – not an abusive word in sight!! Well done, Eddie.. goes to show it can be done 👍
Thanks Diogenes and Sue❤
Yes, a very beautiful comment with big heart it was, nice reading.
Ozil in my eyes hasn’t lost his attacking talent or his talent for making that killer pass like others can’t the problem is he refuses to press the ball or defend and only injects himself when it suits. He can train the house down but when he steps on the pitch for a game it’s more of the same. Arteta tried with him and he didn’t deliver so why would he go back to him for more of the same when other players are fighting for a place and we are winning? Ozil should be motivated to play well this season so other clubs might be in for him and also so he gets paid well. He is mad if he thinks he will get even half of what he gets now and even then I reckon that’s a reach.
Spot on Eddie, kudos to you for saying it just the way it is; less expectation while being patient till the end of the season is the best mindset to have concerning Ozil.
One of the finest players to have ever played for Arsenal. Such a pity it had to come to this stage. Non footballing issues have taken the forefront and footballing quality and talent have taken a backburner. If the Club feels it has to pay Ozil more if he plays more, if that is the policy, nothing could be sadder. We currently have no proven creative midfielder in our ranks, so why not use Ozil against teams that sit deep to defend. We are short of quality and numbers in the midfield, so why not use Ozil? If the media and certain members in the Arsenal hierarchy in their suits are hell bent on robbing this great footballer of his peace and happiness, it is so bad. Human memory is short and people easily forget his contribution to the Arsenal cause and the great times he had with Arsenal. Hope MA gives one last chance for this wonderful asset of Arsenal. Certainly the team success should be at the forefront of MA’s decision making process and if Ozil fits into his plans than he should certainly play again for Arsenal.
Gunner for life, I personally don’t rate Ozil (on performances for the Arsenal over career) among the top 6 midfielders I have seen play for the Club.
Why do people continue with conspiracy theories? Given the way Arteta wants Arsenal to play, the only formation I can see Ozil being successful in, would be with Partey as box to box midfielder and a DM like Diawara to do his tackling and ball recovery for him.
Gunnerforlife: Well said. Today Artera annouced “Ozil has unique qualities, of course he can come back”. It appears that Ozil performance declined the last 2 years due to one reason and one reason only. He was asked to change his game by pressing and playing defense. He was not the only player at Arsenal who couldn’t do that but he was singled out because of his salary. Arsenal finished 8th for 2 reasons. The team can’t defend and the team can’t score. Now if the defense can’t defend why on earth do you ask an offensive player to defend? The opposite should happen. Ozil should have been given free rain to create chances in order to offset a leaky defense.
Oh dear lcw, this statement is really going to put the cat amongst the pigeons – or club before player 🤔Still, as we are all behind him 100% in his selections, I’m sure MO will be welcomed back with open arms, if MA selects him 🤗
Willock isn’t the finished product yet but he has talent and I can’t wait to see Smith Rowe get his chance as he is going to be a great player for us. If Partey and Aouar come in I could see Ozil possibly getting game time with better talent around him but we need to be looking forward not backwards and Ozil is in the rear view mirror.
Oh, And Arsenal are preparing to offer Lacazette a 2 years extension offer.
Like it’s always been, Arteta ain’t in haste to sell him or Bellerin. If high offer came in, they would’ve been sold, but right now seems they ain’t going anywhere, he’ll be offered an extension.
We need to move players out before we finalize any deal for either Aouar or Partey.
Martinez was homegrown. We’ve lost him and Runar isn’t homegrown.
So to get Partey and Aouar, three non home grown players need to get sold.
Torriera 🔁 Runa
Sokratis 🔁 Aouar?
Kolasinac/Guendouzi 🔁 Partey?
Kolasinac wants to fight for his spot.
Guendouzi already turned down two offers. So you see where the problem lies? Why it’s hard to bring in a player now if we don’t move.
Everything isn’t about money money like everyone of you think.
Torreira and Martinez’s deal alone is enough to cover for Partey
Sorry, Eddie. I just don’t see us shifting out enough to get all three (Runa, Aouar and Partey). Kolasinac and Guendouzi are like Ozil. Willing to warm the bench. As are more of them..
We bought them and now we’re stuck with them!
That’s the problem the club is facing right now. Moving out players.
If we don’t move out at least three non home grown players we’ll only get Runa and one of Aouar/Partey for Torreira & Sokratis.
Kolasinac actually wants to fight for his spot, though there are interested clubs, but none has made a bid yet.
I’m thinking some of the players don’t want to leave under Arteta and are willing to fight, but isn’t it too late? We need them to leave to bring in better players
Can’t see the point in keeping Sokratis we the money and to free up wage space.
What is the reason for keeping him, his natural skills and great footballing ability??
For his part he doesn’t want to go because he would get less money elsewhere
Sokratis is interested in leaving, there are talks Arsenal might even terminate his contract. Napoli are in for him, Napoli wants him and he wants to go there too but Napoli has to pay his transfer fee first. Sokratis ain’t the one delaying this.
Manchester City have refused to negotiate with Napoli directly since the Jorginho incident. They’ve been negotiating through Koulibaly’s agent, so it’s taking time to come to an agreement. Napoli wants Koulibaly off before buying Sokratis.
Arsenal ain’t interested in keeping him
I don’t think Koulibaly will leave not now City have bid for Jimenez from Atletico.
Sokratis, Chambers and Mustafi need to go as they are surplus to requirements. We must have some money to spend without sales as we have offered both Atletico and Lyon players plus cash. I think the 45 million for Partey the club would have but they are trying to offload unwanted players in the deal so I think Partey deal will just get done. Runa is 3 million apparently so when Martinez goes for 20 that transfer will be as good as done which banks us 17. Torriera is what 22?? That gives us 39 out of the 60 we need for Aouar. Sokratis will go on free to save his wages which apparently is 5 million so that’s 44 we have, chambers 10-12 million? 54 we have and Mustafi we should surely get around 20 for? That Aouar done. Apparently we asked for more time to sell players so. As for rest of players out Ozil is gone end of season and I don’t mind losing Bellerin if it means we keep Maitland Niles who would slot straight in at right back. The money from Bellerin would offset some Partey money and Aleppo got Kolisniac isn’t a bad move for depth as he can play both left back and centre back if need be.
Kolasinac & Guendozi ,following Ozil in that dirty stinking attitude. Move all three to train with the U18s. Sad this player power has risen its ugly head. Good Mikel has stood like a man, not bowing down to some minuscule fan pressure.
Eddie, what a great point about wanting to play under Arteta – that is why I really don’t understand the way Martinez has acted.
As for being too late though, if we don’t sign anyone else, then we go with what we have and, to date, they are doing a really good job.
Perhaps KEN, he just thought he would not MUCH play under Arteta? The fact he was not picked for the Fulham game was probably thelast straw for him. I do not however say I think he was necessarily right in his thinking. We shall never know now! But, correctly, each human should make their own career decisons.
I think he wasn’t picked for Fulham because his transfer was already done. I’m of the thinking that if he wasn’t prepared to stay and fight to be the number one keeper then he is better off gone. He wanted to be assured of that spot and from what we have seen from Arteta is that he will play whoever is doing the best job. It was Martinez job to lose after his cracking displays which leads me like I said to believe he was already gone.
Ken Martinez publicly said he needs to become Argentina’s number 1. He’s good enough for the position. It’s clear he’ll always have to fight with Leno, Leni is a huge competition for the GK position. Arteta wanted to keep both, and even played Martinez in the CS final but we gotta accept Martinez’s wishes.
Personally I think he was scared Leno will displace him eventually.
Opportunity they say come but once, he saw the huge opportunity to go become number 1 for Aston Villa without competition, and he took it. Fair play. I don’t see any GK troubling him over there, and as long as he does well, Argentina would have their eyes on him
Playing on a losing side fighting relegation won’t do his chances of getting Argentina job any good. Villa were lucky to stay up and don’t look like improving enough to not be trying to avoid relegation again. Martinez fighting for his spot with us would put him firmly in the window but now it’s irrelevant. Leno is a top keeper and we will replace Martinez no problem so I’m not too fussed to be honest but I will be watching villa I think and feeling sorry for him.
Ken, the chance to be #1 and £75k per week for 4 years are good enough reasons for Martinez to move to Aston Villa, particularly given that Leno walked back in. Mikel Arteta made his choice for him, as is his right as manager.
What stinking attitude though Loose Cannon. Kolasinac though not a good defender is still an option for LB. If he wants to fight and play under Arteta, should you applaud his will?
He needs to be sold but at least his intentions are good?
Why the comment about him? Guendouzi likewise
Eddie, WTF is going on with the Auba contract? It was supposed to be announced last week ffs!
Arteta after the Fulham game said we’ll know more within the next few days. So it’s really no problem.
Aubameyang only had his announcement photoshoot and video the day before yesterday.
So yes it’ll be announced soon, everything’s done now. Just a matter of time
The top half of the sand timer is now empty. Could be soon.
I just want to see it done!
Let me just dust these webs off already 🙂
izz, I thought you would have been condemning Martinez for looking after No. 1 with his pay rise and Arsenal for villa?
JON, so I guess that you condemn Martinez for not fighting Leno to be No. 1 then?
Rather go to a relegation threatened club than fight!!!
What a wimp.
An odd comment from you KEN! I said no such thing nor anything even remotely like it . I cannot imagine how you could so wildly misinterpret what I actually DID say!
I actually meant that in my opinion it is possible that had he stayed, then he would have played quite a lot under MA. But your wild assumption was not only wrong but plain silly.
You really should know by now that I say precisely what I do mean and I pick my words with great care, so that I am not undertood. But I cannot help your personal misinterpretation, made for whatever reason.
Jon, I was assuming that, as you condemn players who won’t fight for a place in the team, Martinez would be on your radar as a mentally frail, weak and lazy player -perhaps I got your description of a player wrong?
It is about money,, the reason why we can’t get rid of players is because we pay way over the going rate in wages which they can’t pocket at any other club, so they won’t leave because it’s far more profitable to sit out your contract.
Answer this question,, If Xhaka is so great a football player why is it that in the seven or eight transfer windows that he has been at the club not once has another club even enquired about his availability, not even a single second tier club across all european want him let alone a top tier club. Arsenal paid (don’t laugh) £40 million for his signature and over £100,000 per week in wages for a player to stroll around passing the ball sideways and back. His contract should be up for renewal in a couple of years, I cringe at the thought of what the clubs intentions are.
Akan: Seeing a post like yours is encouraging. Some Arsenal’s fans are under the illusion that they actually have world class players. The club can’t sell players because they don’t have any worth selling. Hopefully we can hang around till players contracts expire. Meanwhile let’s hope the new management team is better at buying than the previous one even though buying a 32 year old winger is not a good sign.
Akan you my friend don’t really know how transfer works if you think players can just be moved about like this was Master league on the PlayStation 2 or this is FIFA career mode.
Also during this pandemic, teams are finding it hard to spend. We’ve done terrible business in the past and we’re trying to do better now but stop thinking everything is about money.
Arsenal can’t get another player until we sell another simply because we need to fill stay in check with the non home grown quota.
I don’t know about you but Xhaka is a very good footballer. For the love of God I really don’t know what it is you people expect from Xhaka, till today a whole lot of you think he’s a ball winning midfielder, when in all honesty according to Squaka , Xhaka is no 9 on the top ten best deep lying playmakers in the world. Busquets is no 1 and Toni Kroos 2, Thiago no 3.. This delusion that Xhaka is a poor player needs to really stop soon.
He’s not very fast yes, but he does his job very well. A whole lot of you like to pretend that Busquets and Toni Kroos don’t recycle back passes and side passes when playing.
It’s a shame that we don’t see the value of our player. Meanwhile Wenger saw it, Emery saw it, Under Arteta, after PEA, Xhaka’s name is first on the team sheet so far. Yet fans keep saying he’s a poor player just because of some agenda.
Going by your logic, Alaba is a very good defender but why are teams not lining up to buy him since he’s yet to renew his contract at Bayern?
Why are teams refusing to line up just to sign Zaha even though he’s a good player? Only Everton are keeping interesting. So really your logic about Xhaka is weak, and the problem is teams are finding it hard to pay the fee Arsenal demands
Let’s not forget the player also has to agree to move and agree terms with the other club before a deal is done. Arteta is certainly getting the best out of Xhaka something that Wenger and Emery couldn’t do. It seems Arteta has got the nonsense out of his game and given him a game plan to stick to and he is doing a great job of it. Does Partey coming in make me wonder for his future yes it does but he will be a great back up for him.
Mathew Shannon: “Arteta is certainly getting the best out of Xhaka something that Wenger and Emery couldn’t do.”
There is no best in Xhaka. He is just and average MF who knows how to avoid traffic because his feet are slow and looses possession anytime in traffic. Sorry but Xhaka ain’t IT.
I concur 100% with your comments. Many thanks 👍
It is insane idiocy to suggest that because Wenger bought Xhaka means he is a good player. Sure Arsene bought some good players and we all that he bought some great ones, but my god did buy some crap as well. I can think of at least a dozen off the top of my head including one Pascal Cygan. Xhaka cost£40 mil paid over£100k per week and has zero impact on the game for 90mins. I can say without apology that he is a worse player than Pascal Cygan. I admit
Xhaka’ has great quality to fool a lot of people that strolling around the pitch pointing here and there while doing his best to avoid physical contact by rolling the ball on to a teammate is a good attribute which is admired by his sycophantic fan club.
The subject matter of this post is the impact of Ozil when playing for the club, which even in his worse games have been greater than that con-artist Xhaka
akan”The subject matter of this post is the impact of Ozil when playing for the club, which even in his worse games have been greater than that con-artist Xhaka”
Now that really hurts especially when your statement applies to the whole defense, Lacazette and Peppe and not to mention the youngsters who are still learning. Some people are not interested in the truth because thwy have a hidden agenda.
By the way we were after Zaha last year as were Everton and don’t forget manchester united bought him as teenager for a relatively large sum at the time,, so you can’t compare a skillful player who can beat opponents setup teammates and score great goals himself with Xhaka who does nothing for the whole game. though I do admit he does it very well
Wish I could get £100k a week for doing nothing
You comparing Zaha to Xhaka is funny. Please read Eddie’s comments properly. You will see that he is not downgrading Zaha but stating the obvious. At the moment, in the current Arsenal playing setup, Xhaka’s role is really important. If he does not play, we really struggle. We had a mini fairy tale run at the end of last season because we had Xhaka playing his role at left cm very well. And as Eddie says, he is one of the top DLPs of the world. Just watch some of his performances with the Swiss national team.
akan please go back and read Eddie’s comment again, then re-read yours too thereafter you can proceed to reply.
Eddie
Tell me apart from Wallcot and Chamberlain, which so called top player have we bought in the past 5 years wherein we made a profit on the purchase price we paid
The only player in our squad we could sell right now for anywhere near his purchase price is Aubamayang
Players are not going to agree to be sold if they are getting less than what they are being paid at Arsenal
They prefer to run down their contracts and negotiate an increase as a Free agent
Eddie- I think your writing is fantastic and keep it up
My only issue is those who claim to have inside knowledge
Think what you just written ?
Arteta isn’t in a rush to sell Bellerain , is happy to stay but would be open if a huge offer came in
We need to sell players to buy players
Kolasniac wants to fight for his spot- that was reported in the press
So have you told us anything that most Arsenal fans couldn’t work out themselves ?
Anyone for example can read we are going to buy Runa and then just say , ‘ I have contacts who told me ‘
Watch , I’ll try it …… ‘ I been told that Arsenal are close to letting Sokertise leave ‘
The decision not to have Özil play after the restart is clearly not sporting. If the players replacing him were better it would be normal for him not to play but none of them managed to do 50% of what Özil does in creativity. He was not selected for Fulham so as not to give credit to the fact that he was dismissed by a simple decision of the management for not having accepted the pay cut. Özil isn’t crazy and when he says he’s ready and deserves to play, he really is. The players, when they do not deserve to play, do not claim a starting position. Arsenal lose a lot without Özil and it’s a shame for our club and for club fans and football fans
Alaoui, if you keep repeating the conspiracy theories often enough, you might believe them, but it doesn’t work for me. Results don’t lie, the team is winning and the defense has improved.
Have you not noticed how much better we are now since that lazy Ozil has been omitted? We’re so much better and hard working without him…2 trophies and a great start to our opening game proves that.
Geoff: You forgot to mention that Arsenal finished 8th. The 2 trophies are an anomaly because lesser teams won them in the past.
Lesser teams maybe… But not the 🥔 🥔 🥔
@Admin Pat
Let’s just assume (as usual) the he 🥔 🥔 🥔 did not want them.
How can you even fit Ozil in our current setup? At his age I don’t suppose he will turn up at the physically demanding wing role. He cant play in the current setup. Only way he can play is if the formation changes and we return back to 4-2-3-1 or if we can somehow field 4-3-3. The shifting nature of our 3-4-3 is working well and we are getting results. I like Ozil a lot, but honestly, I don’t see him playing in this formation.
Sid: You make a good point even though Ozil played few times under all formations.
He is not the only one who did not fit under the current setup. Peppe , a 70 million signing, looks lost most of the time and was benched many times. . Ceballos even though he played good at the end, is not a good fit because he is not good at long balls. Like I said many times, formations work till they don’t. EPL managers spend most of their time breaking down formations. Besides, some managers use 2 and 3 different formations during a single game. Let’s see what Artera does going forward.
I agree. But the frequency of the current formation, and also Ozil’s continued exclusion points to the fact that at the moment, he along with Guendouzi and Sokratis are not suited to the formation. I guess we can make a case for him being a deep lying forward, replacing Laca, but that’s a very minuscle possibility. In my humble opinion, if we secure Partey, then we can utilise Ozil better. He can play in a 4-3-3 as the most advanced mid, with someone like Partey and Elneny/ Xhaka/ Ceballos. But at the moment what matters most is Arteta’s thinking, as he is the one leading the red and white revolution.
strange things happen during a season.
Ozil was given a shot when Arteta arrived and fished up more of the usual lacklustre performances with a complete unwillingness to press the ball or defend. Surely your eyes aren’t painted on and you can see how every player is working their asses off for Arteta and look at the results? Do you think Ozil not putting in makes him deserve a spot because he can make a pass? I’d much rather have a less talented player that’s giving 100% rather then a player that gives about 20% which is what Ozil has done for the past two seasons.
Are you his agent in disguise? Pre lock down he played and can you enlighten me with his worthwhile contributions? Don’t tell me he used the showers and the flush and the canteen facilities.
Loose cannon: Can you enlighten the rest of us and remind us of the rest of Arsenal’s players worthwhile contributions. The team finished 8th so if you are honest talk about Luiz 5 penalties, Holding’s own goal, Kelesniak backward passes to the opposition, Peppe benching for most of the season, Mustafi’s inability to recognize plays resulting in losses and the list is long of events that send the team to the bottom of the pile. So playing or not Ozil had nothing to do with those errors yet he is the only one singled out why?
You are aware that we had Emery for half the season and then Arteta had to come in and implement his system which we are now seeing the results of. Easy to point at the position and leave out the reasons for it. Emery was a complete failure and luckily we got Arteta or we would have been set back for much longer I think under other managers we were linked with. Why is everyone of your comments negative? If your not a fan why not talk shit somewhere else?
because the rest (except Guendozi and Kolasinac) have put their heads down, worked hard in training and have improved.Two cups against tough opposition is a testimony to their improvement. I respect Elneny, Xhaka, Mustafi, AMN, Laca and holding for improving themselves, same cannot be said about Ozil.Hope i have answered your query.
Loose cannon: . You make up things to prove your point. That means you didn’t answer my query. If the the rest of the player did improve ,Arsenal would have placed better than 8th. Improved players do not loose to Brighton. As for working hard, your words against MA who said: All the players without exception are working hard. I doubt you are a better source than the manager.
lcw, perhaps we should listen to what Arteta’s latest comments are about Ozil and admire his wisdom?
However and sadly in my view, I think that if MA does select Ozil, MO will be on a hiding to nothing, whatever happens – such is the way the Ozil haters view things.
As you say, see how the season unfolds, but as sure as eggs are eggs, the small minority, who as usual, make the most noise, will be out in force should MA dare to select him.
Sad but true.
ken1945. It’s ok for people to have a different point of vew, but it is not ok for anybody to make things up in order to make a point. Those people get caught and loose credibility in no time.
Agree 100% Icw.
The false rumour that was deliberately made about Ozil being compared to Bergkamp by those with a different view, was shot down in a matter of a few posts and no apology was made… funnily enough by the same person you are calling out now.
Differing opinions of course, but making up situations that have no bearing on the truth is just pathetic.
We were languishing around the 10th for a good amount of time and we finished eight! During that time Guendozi played and offered us nothing. Rather than accepting defeat and vowing to bounce back in true sportsmanship, he kept bragging about his wages!Shame Shame Shame. No doubt after he and Ozil were chucked out (one for attitude the other for attitude+laziness) our dream run started and ended with two cups. I too once had a different opinion on Arteta when it was crystal clear that Ozil was useless to football in total, he kept playing him, once he banished him the dream run started and may it continue forever and I now am totally happy with Arteta and for Arteta. My intentions were always for Arteta to succeed as a coach/manager and he achieved it by banishing Ozil. The toxic person was on the team sheet for the Villa friendly and we lost, so keep aside the toxic waste where it belongs and we win game after game.
Loose Cannon: “During that time Guendozi played and offered us nothing. ”
There you go again. Why don’t you talk about players who actually lost us games like committing a dumb penalty or gifting the opposition the ball to score or missing a chance to score?
The answer is simple you are not looking at the big picture.
Something hidden is behind his constant omission entirely from the match day squad. I can’t imagine how a highest paid player in the squad being overlook , doesn’t even make the bench and MA choosing the youngsters over Ozil on the bench is a bit too far. I think somethings which are not clear to we fans is behind this. Ozil is not that bad a footballer who can t make even the bench. Let’s be realistic , we need an answer and MA should be able to address this soon, we can’t keep going like this all season . It could be a disruption to the dressing room. Because i am sure Ozil team mates are also confused and need an explanation to this.
I couldn’t believe what I saw from our bench against Liverpool in the community shield match.
Leno, Cedric, Saliba, Kolasinac, Olayinka, Willock, Nelson, Smith Rowe, John-Jules
Olayinka, Willock, Smith Rowe, John-Jules on the bench and our highest earner Ozil couldn t make the bench. Let’s wise up, something hidden is behind it and we need an answer because I am sure MA and Ozil are not the problem it must be upstairs in the board. Before lock down , ozil was in the team and trying his best when called upon. We need someone to shed some light to this because I am sure Ozil can never refuse to play or train hard.
Ozil was on holiday in Turkey for the Community shield.
And still on holiday for the Fulham game?
My point is , I find it difficult to understand why our highest earner not even making the bench but we are okay with the youngsters. Nobody will argue with me that a Willock or Nelson is better than Ozil off the bench. It’s so ridiculous. Something is behind all this and I think it’s time someone be bold enough to shed some light.
According to the current setup, they kind of are…
Simple really. Ozil isn’t in Artetas plans moving forward so why play him when we don’t need him? If there are injuries and he is needed then he is available but until then he will be training until the end of season then he will be gone. It’s clear to see Arteta wants players that put in on both ends of the pitch and Ozil has never done that hence others getting played before him.
I also don’t see any players calling out for him to be selected or even voicing support for him to be honest and why would they when they are winning without him? If he made such a difference his play would make him impossible not to pick.
Why the obsession with Ozil????
There is one thing that is missing from Ozil’s game that has been overlooked. It is even written in this article. “He has repeated it again and again: he is available to play if the coach chooses him.”
Correct me if I’m wrong but I have not seen or heard Ozil saying he is ready to FIGHT for his place in the starting line up.
There is the problem, Ozil has no fight in him!
How many times have you seen him pull out of challenges, duck out of heading the ball, get muscled and lose possession of the ball and sit on the ground for 10 seconds waving his arms at the ref while the opposition launch a counter attack instead of getting back to his feet and chasing the ball to win it back or help out defensively.
That was accepted under Wenger. I remember my friend saying to me years and years ago “Wenger has turned Arsenal into a bunch of pussies”. Arteta is instilling a new philosophy of playing as a complete team, you attack as a team and you defend as a team. With Ozil’s inability or refusal to engage in a physical contest or carry out defensive duties he becomes a lone wolf and removes himself from the team.
Arteta wants players who will fight for their place, the team and the badge. You won’t get that from Ozil.
“A revolving door”
Maybe we all in this column should put ourselves in Ozil’s shoe before pooring those criticism about him
Yes please! 💷
who?
We should never have wasted £43 million on Ozil.
It was a panick buy that made no sense.
We needed a striker (goal scorer) but then ended up panicking and buying the weakest and a complete opposite player (ozil).
And then we made him our highest paid player in yet another panic-based decision. Clear patterns with the Wenger/Gazidis disaster combo.
Ozil’s last dance and supposed redemption is a thing I would love to see! At his absolute best, the guy is phenomenal, but like Eddie above me has pointed out, he has declined a lot. He can still produce moments of magic, but I doubt they will occur regularly. And as much as people go about his creativity, his stats are not favorable. I do have hope however slight, that if we get someone like Partey, in SOME games we can see Ozil’s magic.
Now regarding his exclusion from the playing squad, why does it always have to be a conspiracy regarding his wages? He simply doesn’t suit the current setup. But that does not mean he is completely out of the coach’s plans. I trust Arteta to make the decisions regarding the players. If Ozil impresses him in training then he will play.
Regarding the toxicity due to Ozil’s presence, I don’t think that’s the case. We see many players speak glowingly of our No. 10 and also recently saw players like Auba and Laca welcoming him to the training.
So at the moment, it is as clear as day that to get into MA’s team you have to work hard and make him believe you can suit his system.
Sid :Ozil’s last dance and supposed redemption is a thing I would love to see! At his absolute best, the guy is phenomenal, but like Eddie above me has pointed out, he has declined a lot. ”
If you step back and think a bit, you probably would have written your statement as follow:
Ozil’s last dance and supposed redemption is a thing I would love to see! At his absolute best, the guy is phenomenal, but like Eddie above me has pointed out, THE WHOLE TEAM has declined a lot.
Arsenal as a team disappoints with or without Ozil. The problem is way deeper that one player sitting on the bench.
I cannot help but be intrigued by comments about Ozil’s salary. Humans have the capacity to go at the low hanging fruits – its called lazy cognition. The calculations show that the Americans made a profit off him. Only the fans sit and pretend that they lost. Ozil, Santi, Giroud, Ramsay were the core players to help us stay in the Champion’s league and win ‘second tier’ trophies. We never invested enough to win the premier league. This has been the problem once the owners realize that Wenger would work miracles with a base of academy kids, and a few imported steal deals. All this time fans thought that staying in the Champion’s League was an entitlement. They only now realize it was hard to do on peanut budgets. I recently calculated that it took Wenger 55% of the average budget to stay there. Such achievements spoilt the Americans. The club does not invest long term. Even Arteta is accidental. He is better than they expected. The Club does well if accidentally they pick the right person. Investments do not work like that. You cannot wait for someone to overachieve in order for you to do well. So stop using Ozil as a scapegoat for the core problems at our Club. It needs a proper injection of investments. We have to leave stupid issues like Ozil’s pay and try to get a word in when the real issues are discussed: How do we get back to Champion’s league and have a chance at wining the Premier League without a serious long term commitment and culture to invest? Notice that only Wrighty bet that Arsenal will make Champion’s League. This is because all of the top clubs invested heavily – not to mention Chelsea. Our investment culture must change.
I found your post extremely interesting
I can only take issue on the latter part of it. It is not entirely down to investment. I imagine Kroenke believed his employees would spend £72m better. Well at least that much on a proven talent.
@herbs of the earth: Great post indeed.
I laugh when I read that we are loosing because Ozil does not press and defend or Ozil is lazy, a thief plus all the nasty words fit for a criminal. Your point about Wegner is spot on. He had enough talent to qualify for 4th place. Once Santi got hurt, the whole team went down few notches. Gimmick like press and defend, play counter attack can work only for a short period. To win in the league you need horses and not mules. Horses cost more money and Kronky the businessman knows that. You can get excited about MA all you want, You can bash Ozil all you want. If Arsenal does not spend big, Arsenal will forever stay small. That’s reality.
Thanks Herbs of the earth, I wish everyone sees things the way you do.
It shouldn’t be a club’s concern how Ozil finishes his career. Ozil should be treated like any other player and not be given a special attention because of his past glory.
Arteta has repeated himself again and again that his squad for the day depends on how his players perform on daily basis. Not on salary or stardom. Give our coach some space to coach as he sees fit.
Ey u said it all Ag…I sooo wish Arteta can read this and put Ozil back to the pitch…my take is , why we want to spend money looking for something that we have at Ozil.
Please my Coach can u give 🙏 him another chance…give the boy a benefit of the doubt, im convinced he will play for u….we need this boy…u are really doing good for us and we are confident that this season will do well with u.
Please my coach try him we really want to play in the champions league this season so put aside differences and focus on the goal.