Opinion – Mikel Arteta is the man to finally put Mesut Ozil out to pasture

Mesut Ozil has outlasted three managers, he will not outlast Mikel Arteta.

Mesut Ozil got exposed under Unai Emery and Freddie Ljungberg, both managers came to the conclusion that the team was better off without him.

Whether that is right or wrong is a debate for another time but on both occasions, he outlasted the manager. He had that luxury of knowing that he could sit on his huge wage and just wait it out and it is a strategy that has worked.

He cannot do that anymore, not under Mikel Arteta and there are a couple of reasons for that.

The Arsenal fans support Arteta, they will take his side, for the most part, you could not say that about Emery and with Ljungberg, everyone and his uncle knew he was just a stop-gap appointment.

If Ozil wants to get into a battle of wills with Arteta, he will lose, there will be no misguided clamour from the fans to have him reinstated in the side.

The second reason is time, it is fast running out for the German playmaker, the days of him being able to wait out a manager are well and truly over with, it is now in reverse, Artea can wait him out.

Ozil now has a choice, buckle down and start to produce the match-winning performances he has in his locker or get used to life on the sidelines.

It has been a long time coming, it is good for the club, the fans and Ozil himself simply because he may actually respond in a positive manner when he accepts his options are now very limited.

The bottom line is that Mikel Arteta is the man that has the power to put Mesut Ozil out to pasture and Ozil probably knows that.

34 Comments

  1. Ozil is staying till his contract runs out next July.
    So being paid 350k p/w means he has to play.
    Same with Laca 182k p/w he has to play
    Same with 70m Pepe he has to play.
    Unless some billionaire takes Ozil off our hands Ozil will be playing
    and even if he is benched or gets injured he will be on the books till July 2021.

    1. It doesn’t matter how much he is paid . If he is not putting in the effort or contributing to the team and team morale, he is best left out regardless of how much he is paid . Play a player who gives his all ,even if he is a less well paid player !

  2. He has the power but will he really? I dont see it yet. I think its obvious that this bus has a passenger on it that needs to get off but 350 000 Big ones a week is a lot to have him sat on the bench stealing from this club. Its a big call Arteta has to make and the sooner the better.

  3. I don’t get all this talk about how much someone earns meaning they have to play. It’s really a ridiculous concept, Just think about it.
    So he gets a broken leg, do you still play him because you are paying him x amount of money? Does anyone think a Laca will be playing when Auba comes back? Of course not. The amount someone earns has nothing to do with whether they get picked or not.

  4. Arteta needs to not favor him, and realize he cannot build a midfield around him. He goes on about players working hard but it is obvious Ozil has no will to do so. It not being style isn’t good enough of an excuse. Passenger in too many games for far too long. Five league assists in two years tells you everything about the drop in his ability. I dont know if we can get somebody else in during the summer transfer window but it is something that Arteta should look into, because for someone whose sole job is in attack, his numbers are bad. I’m resigned to the fact he will see out his contract, but cannot see a revival for this player.

  5. Does Utd’s loss to Burnley at OT shows how bad or how good the league is?
    I mean are we one of ten good mid table sides or one of ten cr*p mid table sides?
    Are we contenders or pretenders?
    I just don’t know.
    Utd losing keeps Arsenal in the hunt for top 7 with Spurs + Wolves
    Burnley winning is also good because apart from Liv and City
    teams never win twice in a row in this league so Arsenal should win at Turf Moor.
    PS. It is only goal difference that has Arsenal in 10th place rather than 14th
    so goals and beating Burnley is essential

  6. Xhaka has played better under Arteta too. He still needs to go. We always do this with players that are not good enough. They play decent at best for a short period of time and we rave about them until they revert back to their old ways like Ozil did last night. We will never find consistency throughout a season if we continue to rely on inconsistent players. I realize there is not much Arteta can do at the present moment but he’d be wise to look for other solutions.

    1. Yes Xhaka needs to go. He’s been better but will never be in a midfield that wins the league or UEFA.

      Revamp the CBs, get a legit DM, and kick the Kroenke’s to the curb and we’re good!!

      1. You plastic fans are back with your hatred of Ozil,Xhaka,etc.They have been performing well these days,so where are this antics being conjured from?

    2. Unai Emery did a good job by freezing Ozil. With Ozil, Xhaka, and Mustafi, Arsenal is not going anywhere. It will stay where it is in the current log standing

    3. I kind of disagree with you on xhaka I think this guy has not been giving due chance for now he is the hearts bit of arsenal and can hold is own any day I think we need to see him play under ateta

  7. If ozil can put up half the work rate laca has shown during dis season, I don think anybody will be complaining about ozil…

  8. Get rid of Ozil as soon as possible or just don’t play him if we can’t get rid!. He trots around the pitch half heartedly , doesn’t tackle, is knocked off the ball easily and only occasionally puts in a good pass. The passion and effort is missing. As soon as he is substituted the tempo and team spirit seems to lift – ( just compare his lack of effort compared to that shown by Martinelli – Kolasinac, Xhaka and Bellerin ! )

  9. Sell this X1 for as much cash as possible some this window and some in the summer,then let arteta have the lot to spend.

    Macey
    Mustafa Sokratis Luiz Kolasinac
    Xhaka Elneny
    Mkhitaryan Ozil Aubameyang Lacazette

  10. Outlasted three Arsenal managers?!…… isn’t it just Wenger and Emery?….. he’s getting older anyways, and it’s only a matter of time before he’s no longer able to keep up with the EPL pace…. he could go to US or Qatar to retire, and keep earning big bucks…. I wish him luck in the future. I just hope he’s replaced with Ziyech. Onwards and upwards… COYG!

  11. I will not talk about the other managers as they have already expressed their views on ozil,even unai emery.

    Arsene wenger was not let down by ozil,if so look at 2015/16 season and the seasons that followed,you ll get to see where it went wrong.

    Under unai emery he played 24 EPL games and got directly involved in 8 goals and created the most chances even when not played consistently and some off the pitch mental disturbances.Unai emery said what ozil’s problem was,workrate off the ball…

    Under Ljungberg ozil was involved in almost every EPL goal.

    And if you watched the games under MA he was involved in almost every EPL goal except for the chelsea game.
    Bournemoth game:pre assisted apart from the chances created
    Chelsea game:pre assisted and created some wonderful movements(absolutely breathtaking in the first 30 mins)
    Man utd game:Started the movement which led to both the goals and phenomenal workrate off the ball
    Crystal palace:Pre assisted and was sacrificed after the red card
    Shf utd:Started the movement that led to the goal and created 4 chances.
    Chelsea(A):Was creating problems down the flank with pepe(watch what lampard said about him)and freed the opposite flank and again sacrificed for the red card.

    MA recently said that he should have had more assists which was very “Unlucky”.And he also emphasized that he needs the structure and players to support him.Why do you think cazorla and sanchez were very effective in bringing the best out of ozil???And talking about the double pivot, as much as they are very good defensively their offensive contribution should improve.

    You need skilled wingers, clinical finishers and effective DMs if you want to see ozil succeed which will lead to arsenal succeed.Look at the heat maps of ozil and other play makers and you ll get my point.

    I am a big ozil fan and i will keep on being one

  12. Productivity? Lacazzette has 5 goals and 2 assist this campaign in premier league…Ozil just one assist…and please dont start with that chances created bs, because u, Ozil fans, count on that even a corner kick taked by Ozil…Ozil is trying since arteta has come, i dont deny ir, but pls dont even compare him with a player that contribuite More, in ur terms, and has 10000 miles More hearth

  13. I have accepted the fact that Ozil will be here till his contract is over, so we stay behind by another year and half with this kind of attitude.Another mid table next year too, maybe. Funny part of the football business is that we can be fired if we do not turn up for work, but these football pros have the immunity of their contracts. Sad for football when we the players have such rotten attitudes. You may criticize Mustafi, but he assisted for the goal and played well to atone for his errors and his body language shows he was hurt, unlike Ozil who just looks uninterested irrespective of the situation. It is only a matter of time when he will rant at Mikel, but Mikel being trained by Pep will give him a befitting reply. I suggest Mikel to rather play Freddie Lumberg in the next match rather than Ozil.

  14. This is yet another nonsense article. other than the Sheffield United game where he’s been quiet he’s been working harder and as arteta said been unlucky not to have a couple of assists if our strikers were on there game a bit more. Fans talk about the money side of it but it’s not exactly coming out our pocket is it lol. I fully believe he will be here till the end of his contract unless a club comes in and takes him on loan I can’t see him going anywhere.

  15. The Ozil obsession by AdMartin is making me hate reading article from him. When the team perform badly it’s Ozil’s fault whether he played or not,and he never gives credit to Ozil when deserved.

    1. It’s not an obsession, it’s an opinion.
      One which lots of other people agree with, even if you don’t….
      But it is still only an opinion. The question is; Why do you “hate” anyone having a different opinion to you?

  16. Admin Martin, we have had Pour disagreements in the oast and no doubt will in thE future. But in this article yoy have written the plain obvious truth. FAN TIDE HAS TURNED FINALLY, TOO LATE IN THE DAY, BUT BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, AGAINST LAZY UNINTERESTED OZIL. Whether the club manages to force out this coaster remains to be seen but his contract is up in June 2021 and we can at least be certain that he will, FINALLY, be gone then. And hallelujah to that! I cannot wait and most fans now accept that truth, though Ozil still has his few hero worshippers on here, notable Phil, Ken 1945 and Sue. More fools them!

    1. And let’s not forget the manager Jon-he is picking him every game do must see something that you seem not to.Or are you in fact now questioning the manager ???

      1. Phil, Regarding Jon’s followers , it seems that MA is simply not one of them doesn’t it?
        As a realist, I would assume Jon has seen and read MA’s comments regarding the importance of the player and that is proven by his selection in every game
        I also seem to remember the nonsensical “tide of fans” bluster about turning against Ozil, that would see him 100% gone by July 2019 and, as a self confessed “professional gambler” a £100 wager being made and lost by Jon.

        I also wonder how Jon sees the defence, after the heroics of Tuesday, it seems that, on that night, mustàfi, xhaka and bellerin have proved that having a professional coach can help bring out the best in a player, rather than the ramblings of someone who has probably only ever seen them play in the flesh, once or twice….but feels qualified to know better than MA (.as he also does with regard to Ozil) and the many thousands of fans who sing his name at both home and away games, something that dear old Jon just cannot bring himself to acknowledge.

        1. Ken, On Ozil please see my above reply to PHIL. On the other defenders you mention,I AND MOST GOONERS ALSO KNOW FULL WELL THAT ALMOST ALL OUR REGULAR CHOICES ARE USELESS. CHELSEA WERE ALSO POOR ON TUESDAY, WHICH NO ONE WANTS TO MENTION.

          On MA’s comments, it seems my constant posting to you and others saying that realists do not take as gospel, every statement uttered but look for why, when said and what was behind the exact words spoken, has once again fallen on deaf ears, at least of yours. IF MA SAID THE TOOTH FAIRY EXISTED, WOULD YOU THEN BELIEVE IT! SEEMS TO ME YOU WELL MIGHT. Why this constant naive, total, “every word MUST be true” belief in every public utterance, esp from a worldly wise man like you is beyond me. What else could MA possibly have said? SOME PEOPLE, PLAYERS AND CERTAIN FANS INCLUDED DON’T WISH TO HEAR THE PLAIN TRUTH!!

          Finally, Ken, if you knew the first thing about how pro bettors work you would know that we lay our risk, if you even know what “laying” means. I have made over two thousand pounds on Ozil alone related matters in this last season and a half. Most of my bets are not even on Arsenal matters, nor even so much on football these days. And do you know why Ken? Well I will tell you, cos I never fool myself, as neither do the bookies. They hate folk like me, cos I win more than I lose from them. You are way out of your depth in betting matters, so please do not further embarrass yourself by showing your ignorance of how pro bettors work, as your naive comments above amply prove. BY ALL MEANS GIVE YOUR OPINION ON OZIL OR OTHER ARSENAL MATTERS BUT WHEN YOU TRY TO SCORE POINTS ON MY BETTING YOU APPEAR NAIVE BEYOND BELIEF.

      2. PHIL, far too premature to make that assumption about MA. Let us see what happens when such as Ceballos are fully match fit. I am sure you have not overlooked thrfact that our squad is not exactly teaning with midfield central creators. But you have chosen not to mentioin that, which would give full context. I know why of course and so do you! One day you, ken, sue and the other , but decreasing numbers of his hero worshippers will find those scales fall from your eyes. But I will not beholding my breath for any time soon.

        On another of your posts today, you asked someone how they thought Ozil had been playing in the last 6 games , whilst (surprisingly) admitting he was poor at Chelsea. You chose only the last 6 games,as if that represented the whole regular truth. Strange that! He did work harder in 3 and a half of those games but was still way short of his once world class form of 6 seasons ago. One assist and no goals in 14 games now! Great stats eh! As for him affecting the game in any positive way, forget it! Still subbed regularly though and we all know exactly why.

  17. Ed how come you let a poster call people morons but you dont let people reply. That poster needs taking down as well, double standards.

    1. Calm down, some comments get by but we try to be fair and balanced as much as possible, when highlighted we take action. We do not operate double standards but we are human and do miss some stuff

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