Whether or not the Arsenal and Germany midfield star is fit enough to start for the Gunners at Watford this weekend will surely be a factor, but if Mesut Ozil is available then I reckon Arsene Wenger will have him in the starting line-up tomorrow.
There have been reports over the last few weeks which have suggested that it might be the German playmakers mental state rather than his physical one that was keeping him out of the Arsenal team, with former Gunners defender Martin Keown saying that the boss could not trust him to perform as he had already left the club mentally.
Now, though, we are hearing that contract talks are going pretty well and the sounds coming out of north London are that Ozil might not be set to leave after all. If that is true then I think Wenger will play him, because despite all the critics Ozil’s stats in the EPL prove his worth.
Since he signed for Arsenal from Real Madrid Ozil has provided more assists and created more chances than any other player in the Premier League, ahead of Tottenham’s Eriksson and Man City’s David Silva. So as long as Ozil is in the right frame of mind, is starting him a no-brainer for the Arsenal boss?
Sam P.
I would be intrigued to know how many of Ozil’s goals, and assists came in crunch games? Those fixtures against top quality opposition, or tough away games. Drogba didn’t have a brilliant scoring record each season, but he almost always delivered when it mattered, and I just don’t see that from Ozil.
Ozil may do well tomorrow, but it’s Watford! The real question is: will Ozil perform against City away on 5/11, and against Spurs in the next game after that?
Yes it is Watford and Watford happens to be one of the teams u have to beat if u wanna win the league. No team is less important. I would rather have us win the so called lessee teams home and away and drop a few points against the bigger boys. 2goals and 2assists against utd, a goal against Chelsea, two goals and 2 assists against Liverpool, his never scored against city, but has 2assists or 3, 2goals and same assists against the spuds. And when you check he is still arsenals highest creator in all of these games. So we blame him when welbeck fails to score two simple tap ins after bn fed on a plate… Or when Sanchez forgets he is a wing forward not an central midfielder or when walcoot fails to score when ozil has just offered him the easiest of chances. In criticising ozil, how many arsenal players scored a goal against Chelsea before we won them last year? In 6 or so meetings no goal. Yet ozil gets the stick even when Pete Cech fails to turn up.
Who in the Arsenal team has a good scoring or assist record against big teams?
If they cannot hold onto the ball they cannot give it to Ozil. If Ozil can’t get it then it’s not going to get to the striker either.
What you say is nonsense. No Arsenal player has a good record against big teams. That is because there is an issue in those games that is based in defence and central midfield and not in the attacking core.
Yawn.
So many excuses for our world class multi German player of the year
Third man is right .
Suck it up rookie
This isn’t true. Walcott has a pretty good record against Spurs, City, Chelsea and Man U.
Walcott and Ozil do not belong in the same sentence!!!
This kind of sums up the understanding of what quality Arsenal NEED to have to win anything. Wenger talking Wilshere and Walcott is the bigger picture of how he is still hanging on players he can manipulate since world class players know he is past his time.
So you’re saying when we win (against smaller teams), it’s the team effort, and when we lose (against big boys), it’s Ozil’s fault? Football is a team sport. You win, lose, or draw together. People are quick to point out how Ozil “disappears” in big games, but they forget that it’s not just Ozil who’s not performing when the stakes are higher, it’s the whole team around him as well. Ozil needs weapons to shine. He’s got diddly squat to work with at Arsenal. But one thing’s for sure – we’re still a much better and a more dangerous side with him in the starting lineup than without.
Certain statistics cannot determine whether a player is really helpful to a team or not. Ozil might have created assists and chances, but most of the assists are from set pieces and most of the chances are predictable chances that can easily be nullified by the opponents (that is why they do not become goals, but just “chances”).
Beckham also has big number of assists and chances, but in my opinion he did not help his team (club and country) much and Madrid/ England is much better without him. These type of players are very good to bring more money to their clubs, from merchandises and advertisements.
Cristiano Ronaldo is another man of statistics. He scored a lot of goals, but most of his goals were tap-in goals and happened because of his teammates’ hard work, very different than Messi.
I am sure Arsenal will play Ozil again as a starter, as soon as he is fit again, because they need him to sign an extension. But I hope there would be another club for Ozil in January, as it could revive his career and help Arsenal to get a younger talent like Lemar.
OT.
I am glad to see Ozil, Koscieny, Welbeck Coqueline and Kolasinac in our recent training pictures. Even Debuchy. Go on guys, do your thing and come back home with 3 points.
I don’t think contract talks come into it. He should start because he is a world class talent.
So if he’s WC that makes your previous argument void. He shouldn’t need other players to affect both g games that’s what makes a WC player ?
Really? Do you watch football? Is that your definition of wc? It’s a dumb one if it is.
If you are saying that he can’t perform in big games or against big teams then explain how he manages that for Germany? Did you see him at the World Cup. He had a brilliant game against Brazil in Brazil. There is no game bigger than the World Cup final and not many teams bigger than Brazil.
So yes you carry on being brainwashed by media pundits with an anti Ozil bias while ignoring the fact that this guy has been exceptional for his country and everywhere he has played pre Arsenal. Yet people keep on harping on about him not being good. The same player in the same periods goes to his country and plays well.
Someone who doesn’t understand Ozil doesn’t really understand football.
If people don’t understand bi polar…they won’t understand u 🙂
Me, myself and Vanpayslip
@Who said Arsene can’t do grime?
You obviously don’t watch football with an objective eye !
F@*k what Ozil does outside of an Arsenal team, World Cup or whatever. When he plays for as he has no desire to reproduce what you see as a world class player with equally world class talent. He’s petulant, lazy and totally disinterested at being at Arsenal.
I don’t care how many so called assists he does…..it doesn’t add up to triple the amount of times opposing players cruise past him without a challenge, or the when he loses the ball and doesn’t think it’s his job to attempt to retrieve it, doesn’t have any interest in any sort of defensive responsibility. He’s a one dimensional player and that’s definitely not world class !
We have a 3 man defence and a 4 man midfield behind him. Yet it’s still apparently Ozils fault a goal gets scored.
Indeed I do watch football. I watch it and see a team that finished 5th last season and Sanchez and Ozil are it’s only two good players and they will be gone soon. I guess you live in an alternate reality where the attacking midfielder does the defending and the 2 cms, 2 wingbacks and 3 cdms are blamesless. Are you sure you were watching the game? Saying I want Ozil to be a dm is like me saying I want out GK to score more goals.
But anyway don’t worry about it. Just carry on being brainwashed by bias pundits
Another Brit that thinks he has to leave his blood on the field to care!!!
Get over it. Ozil is world class by any definition and any manager]s assessment.
So go back to your high chair and have one more Guinness !!
Yeah but wc is only useful if there is a reasonable degree of effort and commitment. If ozil wonders around the pitch moaning as he has, gets knocked off the ball like he really couldn’t give a ****, makes little the effort to keep the team shape i.e. actually runs when he loses the ball (rather that standing looking like a little boy who’s just had his ice cream taken off him) or the opposition breaks, then he is as much of a liability as he an asset.
Ozil needs to show he deserves his place by playing for the team and demonstrating he is truly world class (emotionally as well as technically) before he is a guaranteed starter.
I don’t understand how so many people are overawed by the meagre success rate of Ozil and employ his assist rate as a being some sort of standard to behold. Assists are one thing to be counted as input into a game but so is work off the ball, conscientiously making a physical effort to be involved is another…….Ozil doesn’t and hasn’t done that enough.
Was reading in yesterday’s papers that Ozil’s agents says he wants another two years in London….don’t if that’s with Arsenal to be honest but if it is…..it’s only because as that paper also suggested, he hasn’t had much interest who are willing to pay a high wage for so little input.
There was a post on here a few days ago asking if the lack of transfer bids will fire up Ozil. Simple answer is ‘No’. He obviously feels he’s worth more than he’s getting now, but also knows that he’s on a good wage. Because of the lack of interest in him from any other suitors, he’ll just resign himself to the fact that he actually warrants and deserves the wage he already gets and will still have no more motivation to do anything above what he does now.
He’ll begrudgingly put the shirt on, go out there and do what he does with the same lack of effort he always shows. As Thirdman implies, Ozil might have a purple patch when playing teams of lesser quality teams or if he happens to come against opponents with even less zest than he has.
We can’t keep excusing his inability to perform and hide that based on a few could passes that he’s made or the odd party trick ! He’s a luxury that Arsenal don’t need and probably can’t afford, not just financially !
You are 100% right MWNN.
Some questions for the Özilites.
If Özil is truly world class then why did Real Madrid sell him and how come Real have won more trophies since he left?
Why shouldn’t he defend or track back off the ball?
If he hasn’t had the strikers at Arsenal, why does Sanchez out perform him and why does Giroud start and score goals for France?
Why doesn’t he make an impact in ‘the big games’? I know how much the Özil fans like their stats, why has he not scored or assist against Man U, Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham or Chelsea since September last year?
The Germans really have to be quite stupid then voting a Turkish migrant FoTY 5 times in the last six years, Neuer,Hummels, Boateng, Muller, Gotze, Kroos ET Al play for Germany.
Play him. If he starts kicking assists again keep him regardless of him not playing defensively because assists means goals. If he continues to be lazy and doesn’t contribute offensively or defensively then bench him. Let Iwobi, Wilshere, Nelson try it out.
But hopefully OZIL will start showing what he is capable of. He and Alexis can help Lacazette score 25-30 goals if they are at their best. Ozil, Alexis and Lacazette should be an excellent attack if they play 100 %
All due respect……………but we already and undoubtedly know that he’s lazy and doesn’t contribute in many other ways ! Why give him another run out for him to prove to us he’s a waste of a shirt and number !
He’s had more than enough time and opportunity to prove his detractors wrong but he continues to plough the same furrow. No more chances for this guy !
The curios case of Mesut Ozil, shall we blame Ozil for Walcott Welbeck Giroud missing sitters seems alot of you lot do? Even though we have won the last few games the creative side of our play has been awful. I here fans calling for Sanchez and Ozil to be dropped for Iwobi and Nelson some fool even suggested turning Martial down because we had the two previosly mentioned as they are all at a similar level. Alot of Arsenal fans are as dilusional as Arsene himself and combining the two makes us the media laughing stock. Cant wait till next season when Ramsey is playing 10 and the creative class of ozil will be well and truely missed and maybe just then we will appreicate what he has done for us
You’re putting words in peoples mouths, no-one has an issue with Ozil’s creative abilities, it’s a separate argument.
The few fans saying drop Ozil and Alexis, yes they’d be kidding themselves. But there is a case for Ozil to be dropped with certain games in mind, depends on how we look as a set-up.
Our team isn’t good enough to have any defensive passengers .
In those rare games he does turn up is he a de bruyne or a hazard …ha is he ####
No he goes missing an turns up once every 6 games yet…arsenal fans mention bergkamp in same sentence …disgusting
So you’ve actually seen Bergkamp tracking back? You could ask Cech to join in on counter attacks while you are at it.
Arsenal’s ex players seem to guess what’s going on, allot of the time what they say can be taken with a grain of salt. How many times did they say Arsene lost the dressing room, they want him gone. Then when it’s proved wrong or are onto another argument there will be nothing said of it. I don’t believe Ozil would be dropped for mental reasons, that damages a player for sure. He’s a German national champion who has played for the biggest club in the world, this is nonsense from Keown. It could be to do with the contract or an injury being the more likely. Or he could be holding off a bit so Ozil can hopefully finish the season strongly.
The Ozil hate is quite baffling to me. Some people forget that this is the guy who’s won major titles at a club and international levels while ALWAYS been an automatic starter. 5 times in 6 years he’s been named German player of the year. You don’t get that by being lazy or by disappearing in games. Wake up, people.
Arsenal is not Germany, arsenal is not real madrid, so what ever he has done for the teams he has played for, does not apply to what he has done for arsenal, in fact could someone tell me what he won at Real Madrid.
The Epl requires every player to do some amount of DIRTY WORK, especial when we have less than 50 % of the ball. ozil is not that player for arsenal, because we need the work with and without the ball
@ruelando
How much DIRTY WORK did Ibra do last year? Or Silva at City or Coutinho at Liverpool?
Or many others for that matter in world football.
Creative palyers are just that. This is why we pay money to watch the BEAUTIFUL game and I am not paying for Wilshire to slide tackle the crap out of someone on the pitch.
What you are implying is simply not what everyone would enjoy watching as a product
When Ozil leaves 2 defenders baffled with a simple turn it is exciting to watch. So for me I want to be entertained and not watch a rugby match
If Ozil was a WC player, we would not be having this discussion. World class players are selected on merit to starting lineup. You dont need fans to support his case. We lost 2-1 to Watford last season. So, we need to up our game.
Did we have this kind of divided views regarding Carzola? Then whatever your answer is, it tells you the kind of player Ozil is.
If Ozil’s contract is extended, then I dont have to hurt my feelings further because I decided to support Arsenal from 1999. Its better I quit and be a spectator only. Ozil is bad news for Arsenal
Which stats? for 2 years back? when he was in Madrid? Players should be selected on their current performance and on merit. Ozil and Giroud are just a waste of energy to be typing all these comments. Followed by Ramsey. These are the players who lose possession more than any other players in Arsenal team