The Mesut Özil Thread

[DB10GOONER]

I wonder if Wilshere being missing has helped Ozil and the team in general to play with a bit of directness and pace again...?

Hlebby? Hlebby?

I hope you're not suggesting, what I think you are suggesting

[northbank123]

Answer - get him injured in a dead rubber Be All and End All tie

[TeeCee]

I can't understand the slagging of Ozil tbh. Big players have come to Arsenal over the years and taken time to settle, it's very common. Most importantly though is what others have said, he has no fucking decent players to play in!! Now Walcott isn't there we have absolutely no-one making runs. Giroud couldn't run if his missus caught him in bed with the neighbour! He's a complete donkey and the only other runner we have in the team is Ramsey and we miss him!! Yet again Wonga will kill a top player because he'll have him playing in a team and with a style and with team mates that are totally wrong for his game. Don't blame Ozil, this is the work of the biggest prick in English football......Arsene Wonga.

[SteveO 35]

I can't understand the slagging of Ozil tbh. Big players have come to Arsenal over the years and taken time to settle, it's very common. Most importantly though is what others have said, he has no fucking decent players to play in!! Now Walcott isn't there we have absolutely no-one making runs. Giroud couldn't run if his missus caught him in bed with the neighbour! He's a complete donkey and the only other runner we have in the team is Ramsey and we miss him!! Yet again Wonga will kill a top player because he'll have him playing in a team and with a style and with team mates that are totally wrong for his game. Don't blame Ozil, this is the work of the biggest prick in English football......Arsene Wonga.

The slagging of Ozil is obvious - he's the first genuinely world class players we've signed in years and 9 years of trophyless desperation mean that expectations of him are greater than probably every player we've ever signed before. It reminds me a bit of the mid-80s when we couldn't sign a star man if our lives depended on it.......then we signed Champagne Charlie Nicholas on the back of 50 odd goals in a season for Celtic and the expectations were enormous as he was the one 'superstar' we'd pinned all our hopes on.

If Ozil had joined us on the back of an Invincibles type season or any run of success fans' expectations would be more limited

[DB10GOONER]

I can't understand the slagging of Ozil tbh. Big players have come to Arsenal over the years and taken time to settle, it's very common. Most importantly though is what others have said, he has no fucking decent players to play in!! Now Walcott isn't there we have absolutely no-one making runs. Giroud couldn't run if his missus caught him in bed with the neighbour! He's a complete donkey and the only other runner we have in the team is Ramsey and we miss him!! Yet again Wonga will kill a top player because he'll have him playing in a team and with a style and with team mates that are totally wrong for his game. Don't blame Ozil, this is the work of the biggest prick in English football......Arsene Wonga.

I don't get this. I wouldn't call it slagging Ozil. I'd call it stating the truth. Why say he's been great if he hasn't been? Most people on here that have criticised him have stated they also believe he is world class, but that he has been mostly poor. And he has been mostly poor. That's not to say he mightn't be amazing next season once he settles into the pace of the PL and our "system" ( ).

I don't get why people take it so personally when others state (correctly) that a player has been poor.

[LDB]

He was getting all the stick during the first half yesterday and yet I thought he was one of the few Arsenal players that didn't instantly give the ball away upon getting it. I'm not saying he played well as he was clearly injured but I don't understand why Wenger maroons him on the wing in these big games.

[goonersid]

When he has been good, he has been excellent, like on Saturday, when he has been poor he has been bad, overall I would say its been a 50/50 split.
What is for certain, is that our medical ream will ensure we don't see him again until the world cup.

[QuartzGooner]

Now Walcott isn't there we have absolutely no-one making runs.

The Ox.
Gnabry could too, if played more often.

I don't understand why Wenger maroons him on the wing in these big games.

Played wide for Real Madrid and Germany, did not seem to do him any harm.

As others have said, he will work best with fast mobile players to make passes to.
Ozil is akin to a quarter back, a very good one at that.

I think the key players to getting the best out of him will be Walcott, Ramsey, The Ox and Gnabry.

[clockender1]

Answer - get him injured in a dead rubber Be All and End All tie

shhhh the cash cow cup snobs will be after you, if they are not out walking their dogs etc.....

in their eyes, the only reason Ozil was bought was to fufil their champions league sticky dreams

[clockender1]

I can't understand the slagging of Ozil tbh. Big players have come to Arsenal over the years and taken time to settle, it's very common. Most importantly though is what others have said, he has no fucking decent players to play in!! Now Walcott isn't there we have absolutely no-one making runs.

i kind of do - as steveo said - huge expectations for him to be our "saviour"

but, a player is also largely only as good as the team around him, and tbf Ozil does not suit the tikka takka static game that the team has been playing. Neither does Caz - and you don't have to have worked a day in football to see that...

the games where we have come out from the back with the pace of Ox, Rosicky, Ramsey, Caz or Gnabry pushing the ball forward in our own half to him in space, suits his game a lot more than the tikka takka style a midfield partnership of Arteta & Jack, or Flam & Jack often results in.

Ozil like Caz, likes to be moving when they receive the ball rather than static - if only cos its easier to drop a shoulder or tap it past a CM, and then attack some space to give them time to weigh up their options to put someone else in or run on themselves.

They are also far more likely to half have a mind on being clattered when static, and that leads to poor passes and more tikka takka.

I agree that with Walcott in the side he has more options, but the problem is in the team setup not a lack of pace from Giroud, Pod or Agonos imho, though I agree that of the three Olly is the least mobile.

[skizz_b]

Ozil like Caz, likes to be moving when they receive the ball rather than static - if only cos its easier to drop a shoulder or tap it past a CM, and then attack some space to give them time to weigh up their options to put someone else in or run on themselves.

I largely agree with your post but say that Cazorla does have that ability to drop his shoulder and make some space for himself. Ozil has it too but it's a lot more languid and not based on genuine pace.

They would function best, as said, with fast runners surrounding them eg Walcott, Ramsey, Wilshere, Ox, Rosicky, even Gnabry rather than the stop and go players like Arteta (first one off the top of my head). The main problem is our injuries are so bad we rarely get these players all in the same side.

I think Ozil's issues are mainly down to the lack of a winter break and struggling to adapt to being surrounded by idiots like Giroud and Bendtner, he knows that no matter what he does they are 1 in 5 chance takers so why bother?

[clockender1]

Ozil like Caz, likes to be moving when they receive the ball rather than static - if only cos its easier to drop a shoulder or tap it past a CM, and then attack some space to give them time to weigh up their options to put someone else in or run on themselves.

I largely agree with your post but say that Cazorla does have that ability to drop his shoulder and make some space for himself. Ozil has it too but it's a lot more languid and not based on genuine pace.

Skizz, I was saying they both do have that. Interesting your languid comment - when Pires replaced Over Overmars, i thought he wouldn't be as effective for the same reason - he seemed languid, lacksadaisical etc but he was bloody effective and deceptively quick....I think Ozzy may be the same there.

[augie]

Now Walcott isn't there we have absolutely no-one making runs.

The Ox.
Gnabry could too, if played more often.

I don't understand why Wenger maroons him on the wing in these big games.

Played wide for Real Madrid and Germany, did not seem to do him any harm.

As others have said, he will work best with fast mobile players to make passes to.
Ozil is akin to a quarter back, a very good one at that.

I think the key players to getting the best out of him will be Walcott, Ramsey, The Ox and Gnabry.

Played wide as an attacking player and not as a winger expected to track back You also have to say that playing on the wing in the English league requires real speed which ozil doesn't have/doesn't use

[Theoperator]

Agree with Clockender1, Ozil is deceptively fast at times, that first goal v Everton was total class, languid is a good description.

Gnabry lacks the finishing touch still. Agree he obviously has the pace but for finishing he is a poor replacement for Ox or Wally.

[g88ner]

[Ozil] Played wide as an attacking player and not as a winger expected to track back You also have to say that playing on the wing in the English league requires real speed which ozil doesn't have/doesn't use

Is that true?

I didn't watch Madrid last season, but I'm surprised a team managed by Mourinho would allow a wide player not to track back, especially as I can't see Ronaldo or their centre forward tracking back. To have 3 players without defensive duties seems odd for a Mourinho team that usually set up to be hard to break down.