Mesut Ozil deserves more credit for his physical contributions

Former Arsenal coach Darren Burgess believes that Mesut Ozil deserves more credit.

Mesut Ozil has been accused of being one of the Premier League’s laziest players. The midfielder has been lauded for his creativity repeatedly, however, his style of play and his body language always suggests that he is a lazy player who cares less about the physical side of the game.

He fell out with Unai Emery and struggled for minutes under the Spaniard, with the ex-Arsenal boss claiming that Ozil never measured up in terms of the physical side of the game.

Former Arsenal director of high performance, Darren Burgess has, however, come out to claim that there have been games that Ozil has clocked high numbers in terms of speed.

“Mesut is much-maligned physically,” Burgess told The Athletic as cited by Turkish-Football.

“But there were many games where his running numbers — and I’m talking high-speed numbers, not just distance but high-speed numbers — were among the elite in the competition. So he’s certainly capable of doing it.”

Arsenal has been doing better under Mikel Arteta and Ozil has been an important part of the revival with his work rate obviously better than it was under Emery.

Arteta will be hoping that the former Germany international can maintain his work rate until the end of the season as they look to secure a return to the Champions League.

It should be noted, however, that for every person, be it a former coach or whoever, that praises Ozil there is one on the other side that laments his contribution.

Ozil will continue to be one of the most divisive footballers to ever pull on an Arsenal shirt.

30 Comments

  1. “Arsenal has been doing better under Arteta
    and Ozil has been an important part of the revival”
    Really?
    6 Pl games 1 win 1 loss 4 draws is no “revival”
    The results have been awful and Ozil has been part of the awful results.
    Lets tell the truth

    1. stevo, but before that, we has a coach sacked, we had a half full emirates, we had no idea where we were going and we were being told that our players were scared of playing Watford – now if you can’t see a difference from the start of MA’s reign, which like it or not, has seen Ozil selected, then I suggest a visit to specsavers should be a priority.

      I further suggest that admin print the views of Frank Lampard regarding Ozils contribution Tuesday evening, just in case you missed that as well, not that I expect you to take his professional thoughts as anything but awful either.

      By the way, I’m still waiting to see the team you visualise challenging for major… no, any honours…when you wouldn’t pay them more than £3,000 a week – as ludicrous a suggestion/thought as chelsea celebrating the night before our cup final win or the classic all the other teams let us finish second to Leicester…we really do have some wonderful fans on this site.

      1. Ken, as regards what Lampard said, im sure he was right. But both goals were after he departed andxwe actually won the the second half without Ozils influence. Was Lampard being mischievous, for every Lampard comment, you will find another professional with a different view of Ozil. Lampard is not on his own if his view was genuine but you will find plenty who dont agree with him. Plus, i agree, what influence is Ozil on the team with a record of 1 win in 6 games, no assists, no goals and hes happier now, apparently. When he starts actually producing, i will love to see us improve because of his influence but i have seen nothing for a good 2 years. What is it four assists in 18 months, thats an awful lot of money he is getting per assists. I would suggest he is very poor value for money.

        1. Lampard watches Ozil for a game and we are now supposed to take his assessment on him as somehow accurate because he is a so called “professional”? We have been watching Ozil for years and we know for the most part of it he has been garbage. Am definitely not listening to some rookie Chelsea coach when I have a brain of my own to make my own assessment. Blessed be the day Ozil leaves this club for then we can start our revival properly.

          1. QD, that brain of yours is programmed to reject anything that is deemed positive towards Ozil…look how you describe Lampard – a rookie chelsea coach – ignoring g his achievements since becoming that coach, his ability as a player, both at club and national level that would, to anyone with half a brain, at least consider their thoughts.
            At least I see both sides of the coin, inasmuch as we have a grossly overpaid player, who has now lost his world class status and still has a year and a half contra t to run – who has MA’s full support, is taking the role offered as anew lease of life, loves theclub, has the emirate fans, hkme and away, singing and chanting his name and is performing the role given to him by MA to said coaches sstisfaction.

            Reggie, of course one can take whatever angle he wants from the words given by FL – I looked at it in a positive way, that being that the coach of anotber club took time out to praise and discuss, not only one of our players, but the tactics used by our coach in utilising said player…because, without a doubt, MA would have not allowed Ozil to make such a decision on his own.
            It had nothing to do with when/how/ who by the goals were scored, FL was complimenting the tactics used bh our club.

            As for Ozil’s influence on our first six games, I assume you would have that opinion about every other outfield player?
            Unless, of course, you excuse defenders who give goals away, forwards who can’t score goals and a midfield (with Ozil included) who don’t help either of those mentioned and just expect one man to do everything.
            If you are saying that there has been no improvement in the overall state of the club, both on and off the pitch, then you and I are simply miles apart in our views.

  2. Hey, Ken, Specsavers can help a man see better, yes, but can they also perform a miracle by helping you THINK better?

    Glasses can hardly cure it when a man doesn’t perceive right.

    When you have Arsenal-is-rubbish-incurably-itis, a malady mostly associated with perception of real life situations and which makes one perpetually an incurable pessimist in certain situations, you tend to dig your heels in.

  3. Some people will never see anything good about Arsenal. If you like employ Ronaldo and Messi as members of your playing staff.

    I read somewhere that some people think Arsenal have lost her soul as a club and so they are forming another club. You can imagine the kind of membership of such a club.

    Nothing is ever right with Arsenal. They are always buying rubbish players, playing rubbish, are in a rubbish position on the log, and have zero chance of avoiding relegation.

    Rio Ferdinand was said to think that our last acquisition at CB was Koschielny. The same player his type never acknowledged as being anything but second rate? It’s curious that Koschielny is now quality after he’s left and now that Arsenal seem to have issues at defense.

    No credit is ever due this club called Arsenal. That was the case till we harvested three FA Cups in four seasons. Yet we were never good enough to be counted as an elite club in England.

    Mikel Arteta has re-created the soul of Arsenal. Right before our eyes. He will transform the club into a multiple trophy- winning have juggernaut while some are sniffing at it all.

    1. Be honest mate, arsenal has gone backwards big time, if u don’t believe this on the pitch, u will on the league table, if not , u will on The financial side of things. I remember when arsenal use to be 4th, 5th and 6th in football rich list In the world but today they have regressed big time and if they continue like this, the fan base will start shrinking, less and less fan would buy their products and there will be less interest when they play, returns from commercial deals will go down because they ain’t in the elite group competing anymore. We shouldn’t forget arsenal primary objectives, first a sport team then a business, a sport team must win and be seen as competing with the top teams to be relevant and attract big interest for investors thereby would satisfy its business objectives but they ain’t doing both, the present killer owners are not investing in the club but only trying to take funds out, right now, arsenal is a bad business, they would go down to championship in 5yrs if this continue

    2. Gunnerphilic, what a sensible and truthful post – well written and explaining the likes of QD, Reggie, Jon Fox etc etc.

      When we won those three cups in four years, it was passed off as “a nice thing to have done”, but nothing to be proud of.

      I will always remember the boasts about ” we’ve got our Arsenal back” and “Arsene who?”….nearly four years later, they are stil, bitching about the club, the owner, the players, the fans…in fact, for these fans, nothing has changed…what a miserable, negative world they must live in , when it comes to football.

      You have restored my faith in sensible, forward thinking, optimistic and realistic supporters and for that I thank you.
      MA will bring back those glory days, I have no doubt about that and I hope he becomes the most successful manager this club as ever had…with or without Mesut Ozil, who is just one of many players,

  4. He is lazy, yes the high runs numbers is deceptive, he runs around without end products, no take ons, no drives with the ball, cannot shot furiously, he get pushed off the ball so easily, I believe most coaches has set their team up to target him when he gets the ball, cannot jump to compete for headings, He has been robing arsenal, pls direct this comparisons with other midfielders in his position, I believe it will reveal a good picture of how poor he’s become playing for Arsenal, in fact it started after arsen Wenger and him team of poor judgment personnel gave him that mad wage

    1. Viju, if only Jd would/could explain why MA keeps selecting him, the rant might make a debate possible…at last we are seeing some REAL perspective about the player from fans who have had enough of this singling out of one player as the scapegoat for any problems.

      Frank Lampard summed it up completely and yet even that is given short shrift – carry on the excellent work MA and watch Ozil respond to a real coach.

      1. reason why MA keep selecting him is to keep his stock as high as possible and remember, arsenal is a business, don’t get me wrong, he still has some qualities like holding the ball, he helps to string passes together at intricate space, no doubt these are good qualities but most top six midfielders do it effectively and still contributes to team performance considerably. Remember MA said he would start with slate for every player, I bet he would soon realise that Ozil has past it in keeping intensity going, PL don’t suit him anymore

        1. Jd, please read your first post, full, of such things as robbing the club etc etc…then read your second post, what he does bring to the team- a little different I would suggest.

          If he is past it in intensity, why on Tuesday night did he achieve a 100% pass rate in a london derby in the premier league…and before you insinuate that they were sideways or back passes, just remember mustafi’s execution of that “simple” pass.

          1. Any player can achieve high percentage passing, am sure most fan would rather a good passing ability rate plus some penetration, my man cannot do a debryn of MC, erikson Of our noisy neighbour, u kno wot I mean?? If arsenal can get Cazola am sure u will see the difference and by the way, how many game has arsenal won since he has been given more time on the pitch? I wil live that for u to answer, he plays in a position that can influence the team results but nothing is coming from that important position he plays in, for me, the PL is to intense for him at this stage of his career!! He get the ball passes to the nearest man, no real intention to break down a defence or drive in with the ball with hunger, no doubt he Is talented but he can’t keep up the fight anymore, arsenal is not winning any game, but u guys reckon he is playing good enough to win games eh?? I hear u!!

          2. I bet u are one of his online pr person? Most show biz people have people defending and polishing their image online these days

  5. You can understand what managers think about ozil from that chelsea game.

    Frank Lampard’s review everybody knows what he said…

    If you watched the bench cam video on youtube for the chelsea game,you can see that how frustrated MA was during some moments in the game(especially with david luiz and nicolaus pepe)but he was not with ozil.He was rather disappointed with how the game turned out to be than with ozil(you can see that through his reaction).And what people are forgetting is we were very good defensively that day not offensively,obviously happened when guendouzi came on because MA wanted to protect the box(Ozil is not a defensive player)but he didnt bring control like what ozil did in the first half after the red card.After the break chelsea went on all out attack so you can see why ozil was substituted.But anti-ozil fans will surely blame him,thats not new because for them if you didnt get an assist/goal you were poor.

    And why do you think players like ronaldo and messi are so successful,for sure they had some unbelievable individual moments but most of the time the players around them and the structure is the root of their success.Their manager’s understand it and their fans see it but when it comes to ozil people only look at his paysheet.We are still improving with MA so give him time,he is bringing that structure so believe in him.There’s a reason i think why ozil is not sometimes trying as he did in RM because of the players behind him.Can they be trusted with the defensive duties if the ball is lost.Why do you think messi,KDB,dybala are so successful and confident??Because they try thinhs and know that their team mates can be trusted.Under MA we are improving,we are getting a good organization and structure but the goals conceded under him were due to errors from individual players,you cant blame ozil here.

    apart from those 2 goals did we have any shots on target?No.
    Did we have any shots?No.
    So as Ozil was substituted maybe the midfield and attack was responsible for it????
    Ozil had 34 touches,30 passes,a 100% pass accuracy,had 2 tackles and 2 take-ons and was vital in bringing control.

    For me ozil is a bit like gundogan,their roles are different and some dont understand why they are in the team but they are world class and for sure is vital,their teammates know it,their managers know it,their fans know it except anti-ozil fans.

    1. can Ozil shots, no! Can he take ons no! Can he drive with the ball to the opponent goal no! Can He tackle no! Can he jump and compete to head the ball no! Can he hit a long shot no! He runs around racking up high runs numbers but no convincing output, let’s be honest, all top six midfielders contributes better performance to the team than Ozil at the moment

  6. Loads of Ozil-haters have one qualification that entitles them to their revered opinion about the man: they have been paying to watch matches for a century and a half. So they reckon that is enough training as coaches and managers of elite players of the game. Does that confer enough experience on them to managing men, materials and the whole lot of complex stuff associated with the job? Do they have the technical knowledge? Do they even know what to look for in the players? Are there parameters that cannot be seen by merely watching a match but can only be seen by trained eyes?

    Some cannot organise their family to sing Christmas carols and yet they shades at people who are trained to coach professional players and are certified to do their jobs.

    Talk is cheap…everybody with a mouth can afford it.

  7. Thank you Shakir. You take above was very good and educative. The stats you supplied did a better job than all of my rants put together.

    The point is, Ozil has been doing his bit. From his stats, the man is doing a very good job. 100% pass accuracy. What more do you want from him?

    People should please leave the guy alone. If you envy his paycheck go start a career in football and see how easy marketable you are. See how easy it is to run around “like
    headless chicken” and get paid a barrel load of cash. Simple.

  8. Since this is About Ozil i would not say much but if anyone thinks Ozil does not worth playing in Arsenal team then maybe they should point out to any of our Midfield player that as done great than Ozil,even when Ozil was Strugling at Arsenal yet he made germany first team with all the quality players germany got and some will question his ability that he’s not strong enough yet jose Mourinho played him while in Madrid despite that we all know jose Mourinho believe in physical football Ozil got something special a lot of players don’t have especialy in Arsenal team and thats why he’s playing because no player can do better than him in our current squad at least for now

  9. Gunnerphilic u crack me.. but too true Ozil is truly world class as Wenger once said if u love football then u love Ozil.for me the only other player I enjoyed as much tl watch gliding on the ball is Zizou..man I love Ozil world class all day long. Twice on Sunday

  10. I look forward to seeing Frank Lampard, jose and all his admirers put a bid in for Ozil this month, if they think he is that great. Im sure the board would snap their hands off, even for nothing.But i wont hold my breath.

    1. But Reggie, you don’t rate FL, so why would he try to get Ozil anyway?

      We all know that Ozil’s obscene salary is the reason why no one would bid for him, so why try and be clever by insinuating that it is his prowess as a “great” footballer that would stop anyone from bidding for him?
      There has never been one single post on here, that praised or condoned the salary that kronkie, wenger and gazidis gave him, so what mileage this red herring brings to the discussion, only those who use it to continue to batter him need to explain…everyone knows it’s ridiculous, but it hasn’t stopped players from joining or renewing contracts has it?.

      We are now led to believe that you know the boards thoughts and intentions., even to the point where they would let him go
      for nothing – first of all, the board does not sanction transfers in or out and, secondly, kronkie would want a return on his most prolific merchandising/advertising asset his club has at present, let alone what it would cost to buy a replacement willing to earn £3,000 a week as good old stevo wants the club to do and with the ability of Ozil.

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