Mesut Özil & Unai Emery

[Dave]

After his best attempts to kill Arsenal's momentum against Chelsea by taking a year to walk off the pitch when he wasn't happy about being substituted. There's been reports this week that Mesut Ozil has feigned injury because he didn't like the role in the team Unai Emery wanted to play him in.

Do you think there's any truth on the rumours of a rift between the two, and if so, is It best for Arsenal to get rid?

My two cents are it will be difficult to prove the latter, but as for his character, it's very telling that no German players were defending, supporting or thanking him in their droves when he announced his retirement on social media.

[True Blue]

Don't think that Ozil is good enough for Arsenal any more. He was good when he arrived from Madrid but in the past seasons he was more a problem than a good thing. He is also on extremely high wages for a player that barely runs.

[SirBalon]

I have no idea if this story is true but he did throw a strop while at Real Madrid because of positional play (Mourinho was the coach) and the coach punished him for four games by being on the bench without coming on... That was where a famous incident surrounding Sergio Ramos wearing Mesut Özil's shirt under his own in support of his colleague and showing the coach dissent.

I said at the time we renewed Özil that it was a major mistake.  No football club in Europe will be willing to match his wages let alone pay him more which means he'll now run his contract down.  That's an issue that's occurred with us with many players in recent years. One of two mistakes tend to be made by Arsenal which are;

• We let someone's contract run down so far that then they have the bigger negotiating leverage.
• We have mediocre players on massive wages with no seeming tiers in the structure.

[Lucas]

Luxery player that turns it on when the team is in the mood. Got an easy ride with  Wenger and in the space of a few weeks, has been found out already, ballsy but great move by Emery.

Completely up to Mesut Ozil where it goes from here. Sulk and force a late move somewhere (I don't think Arsenal will be fussed if a good offer comes in abroad) or knuckle down, prove us wrong and force his way back in.

 

[SirBalon]

Özil can count himself lucky that it wasn't Luis Enrique who ended up being coach (a few others aswell).

[RandoEFC+]

Ozil is the easiest scapegoat in football.

People whinge about his body language and his not tracking back but it isn't his job, even if I'll concede that there's no reason he can't do more.

If Arsenal actually had decent defenders and central midfielders capable of shielding the defence then nobody would give a toss about how slumped his shoulders are.

Quality player who is probably still suffering mentally from his national team blaming a photograph he took with the Turkish president for their teams dreadful showing at the World Cup.

Players like Bellerin, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Mustafi are really lucky to have Ozil in the club because bashing Mesut every time he has a poor game is so in vogue that the rest of Arsenals players fly under the radar when they can't do their jobs or even grasp the basics of football.

That said, Ozil has had a poor start to the season and could probably benefit from some time out of the spotlight but that isn't good enough for a player on his pay packet. Even at his best I don't think the Premier League is his cup of tea but I maintain that Ozil, in a team that enables him to play to his strengths and purely create instead of expecting him to get involved in tracking back and covering the deficiencies of the rest of Arsenals bang average team, would show his class.

Calling him a luxury player is spot on. There aren't many players like him and it's frustrating that he's limited in what he does across the team but the other half of the problem is that Arsenal aren't good enough to get the best out of their best player. He is what he is and he won't change so people need to stop thinking he's the root of all Arsenals problems just because of his body language.

[LFCMadLad]

13 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

Ozil is the easiest scapegoat in football.

People whinge about his body language and his not tracking back but it isn't his job, even if I'll concede that there's no reason he can't do more.

If Arsenal actually had decent defenders and central midfielders capable of shielding the defence then nobody would give a toss about how slumped his shoulders are.

Quality player who is probably still suffering mentally from his national team blaming a photograph he took with the Turkish president for their teams dreadful showing at the World Cup.

Players like Bellerin, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Mustafi are really lucky to have Ozil in the club because bashing Mesut every time he has a poor game is so in vogue that the rest of Arsenals players fly under the radar when they can't do their jobs or even grasp the basics of football.

That said, Ozil has had a poor start to the season and could probably benefit from some time out of the spotlight but that isn't good enough for a player on his pay packet. Even at his best I don't think the Premier League is his cup of tea but I maintain that Ozil, in a team that enables him to play to his strengths and purely create instead of expecting him to get involved in tracking back and covering the deficiencies of the rest of Arsenals bang average team, would show his class.

Calling him a luxury player is spot on. There aren't many players like him and it's frustrating that he's limited in what he does across the team but the other half of the problem is that Arsenal aren't good enough to get the best out of their best player. He is what he is and he won't change so people need to stop thinking he's the root of all Arsenals problems just because of his body language.

I couldn't disagree more. He has totally coasted his way throughout his time at Arsenal and was sold by Real Madrid because as you said,  he is what he is. 

Probably the most overrated player in Premiere League history taking transfer fee and wages into account. 

I wouldn't want Liverpool to touch him with a barge poll. 

[carefreeluke]

Bit like when Pep called out Yaya Toure for his off the ball work at City.

[Dr. Gonzo]

I think Emery is 100% in the right here & honestly I don’t think Ozil was missed at all by Arsenal over the weekend. They still had plenty of creativity in the midfield & it’s early days, but in my opinion Mkhitaryan is looking a lot more like the player that was promised when he first came to England.

I don’t think Ozil’s the biggest problem with Arsenal’s midfield. I think that’s Xhaka. But Ozil’s a good player on his day, but that day has been less and less frequent and he’s in no position to be making demands of a new manager - much less starting fights with them.

[Cicero]

Think Neville made a good point in his debate with Carragher. The players have to adapt to the managers style, not the other way around. If a player isn't cut out for it, bin them. 

Emery has a great record this past decade, so its obvious his philosophy and ideas work given the appropriate time. He shouldn't change his style, and if he does, the players will walk all over him. 

[RandoEFC+]

The criticism of Ozil is fair enough to an extent, I'm not arguing with that, I'm merely pointing out that the criticism levelled at him is disproportionate compared to other players and it's got to the point where it's a total feeding frenzy whenever Arsenal or Germany lose and he's on the pitch and doesn't get a hat trick and 14 assists.

Ozil has let Arsenal down enough times in recent years but so have Bellerin, Monreal, Koscielny, Mustafi, Xhaka, Iwobi, Wilshere, Ramsey etc. Even Sanchez was shite on his fair share of occasions and probably caused the most damage of anyone with his tantrums on the pitch, can't imagine that was anything less than toxic in the dressing room but because he "looks like he cares" while Ozil "doesn't give a shit because look he has slumped shoulders" Sanchez is too good for Arsenal and doing them a favour by being there while Ozil is the root of all their problems. Not having it lads. Look how well Sanchez is doing at United.

One of the Arsenal fans on here shared a stat that Ozil actually created the most chances in the group stage at the World Cup or something to that affect but that body language of his overrides that and obviously got Germany knocked out of the tournament along with that photograph of the Turkish guy.

I'm also sure there has been statistical proof in the past that Ozil actually covers more ground than most other players in a football match which dispels the other myth about his poor work rate unless I'm completely misremembering.

He's been poor in Arsenals first two games of the season and it was petulant to dawdle off like he did but it's two games and once again he's not the only one. It was Mkhitaryan who got caught out of position because he failed to track back for Chelsea's opener. And it was 2-2 when Ozil was hooked so he's doing well to be at fault for Chelsea's winning goal for not pressing or tracking back. It was also Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang who missed open goals but Ozil is the problem because of his long, slow walk off the pitch costing Arsenal the game.

As to the point of players having to adapt to the manager's system, fair enough. But if you look in the dictionary and see what manager or management actually means, that means it is also Emery's job to get the best out of his players so unless he wants to stick with the wildly inconsistent Mkhitaryan and the joke player Iwobi then for his part, he has to find a way to get the best out of Ozil as well because whatever else you think of him, he's Arsenals most creative and best attacking player. Mourinho gets slated for asking Pogba to play a disciplined game and not getting the best out of Sanchez and expecting Mata to track back but when Emery wants Ozil to move out of his comfort zone and press and track back and he isn't doing it to a world class standard in the first two games suddenly it's the players fault? Again I'm not having that.

Finally, I said it in the first place but as well as a footballer Mesut Ozil is a human being and the way he has been scapegoated for Germany's failures at the World Cup by parts of the German FA, German media and German fans is probably still affecting him this early in the season so there's another mitigating factor in his poor start to the season.

TLDR - yes Ozil is far from perfect and it's fair to criticise his start to the season but what's bordering on a witch hunt two games into the season is way over the top.

[God is Haaland]

Unai Emery must be a Nazi. There's no other explanation, because it's never Özil's fault.

[RandoEFC+]

1 minute ago, BartraPique1932 said:

Unai Emery must be a Nazi. There's no other explanation, because it's never Özil's fault.

How on earth are you getting that from this thread? He's getting slated by everyone except for me.

[God is Haaland]

Just now, RandoEFC said:

How on earth are you getting that from this thread? He's getting slated by everyone except for me.

Not from this thread. From Özil, Turks and the media.

[Spike]

Dimitar Berbatov had a similar, lazy, languid, cool as you like style but everybody loves Berbatov. 

[Cicero]

4 minutes ago, Spike said:

Dimitar Berbatov had a similar, lazy, languid, cool as you like style but everybody loves Berbatov. 

Berbatov was a big game player 

[SirBalon]

1 hour ago, Cicero said:

Think Neville made a good point in his debate with Carragher. The players have to adapt to the managers style, not the other way around. If a player isn't cut out for it, bin them. 

Emery has a great record this past decade, so its obvious his philosophy and ideas work given the appropriate time. He shouldn't change his style, and if he does, the players will walk all over him. 

That final sentence is perfect and gospel!

[Rick]

Just because Arsenal have some other spastics on their team is doesn't excuse Ozil and his atrocious attitude. He's an idiot and Arsenal can do without him, I'd flog him.

[SirBalon]

1 hour ago, RandoEFC said:

Ozil has let Arsenal down enough times in recent years but so have Bellerin, Monreal, Koscielny, Mustafi, Xhaka, Iwobi, Wilshere, Ramsey etc. Even Sanchez was shite on his fair share of occasions and probably caused the most damage

You’ve made some fair points on both your posts although you’re looking at it from outside in as with most people.

It’s when he plays for you club (for Germans when he puts on the shirt of the president that isn’t his president)...

But on the bit I’ve quoted you on right now...

Mesut Özil gets paid much much more than all those players and there’s a reason why Arsenal have erroneously paid him that.  But far and away from any blame attributed to him for Arsenal’s stupidity in offering him a contract containing the promise to pay him an “elite” player’s wage is the fact he is nowhere near performing as an elite player. That’s not his fault either is it because it isnt.

But where it does get ridiculous is people somehow making out he is one because he plays the odd blinding game when his colleagues are in form.

Özil... The guy that captured world football headlines died after 2011. 

[SirBalon]

2 minutes ago, Rick said:

Just because Arsenal have some other spastics on their team is doesn't excuse Ozil and his atrocious attitude. He's an idiot and Arsenal can do without him, I'd flog him.

It’s not easy to flog a player on those wages. Who’s gonna match that (forget superseding it) in a full blown new contract?

[Cicero]

21 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

It’s not easy to flog a player on those wages. Who’s gonna match that (forget superseding it) in a full blown new contract?

Give him the Malouda treatment until then 

[RandoEFC+]

23 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

You’ve made some fair points on both your posts although you’re looking at it from outside in as with most people.

It’s when he plays for you club (for Germans when he puts on the shirt of the president that isn’t his president)...

But on the bit I’ve quoted you on right now...

Mesut Özil gets paid much much more than all those players and there’s a reason why Arsenal have erroneously paid him that.  But far and away from any blame attributed to him for Arsenal’s stupidity in offering him a contract containing the promise to pay him an “elite” player’s wage is the fact he is nowhere near performing as an elite player. That’s not his fault either is it because it isnt.

But where it does get ridiculous is people somehow making out he is one because he plays the odd blinding game when his colleagues are in form.

Özil... The guy that captured world football headlines died after 2011. 

Of course it winds you up more when he plays for your club. I know enough from the last couple of years about people commenting on whether fans of another club should be happy or not with boards, managers, players that you can't fully get it unless it's your club.

[Chaaay AFC]

Emery did come out and squash the rumours, but if there is any truth to them Özil seriously needs to sort himself out. We will see how the season plays out, but there is no one protecting these players anymore, Emery's decisions must be backed.

People have their opinions on Özil, but he is one of the best I have seen play for the club. To call him the most overrated player in Premier League history is a joke, utter nonsense.

[Asura]

1 hour ago, Spike said:

Dimitar Berbatov had a similar, lazy, languid, cool as you like style but everybody loves Berbatov. 

Not about laziness, laziness and chickened out are two different things... Ozil is a pussy and wont put in a tackle to save his life. 

Pirlo looks lazy but he is a superstar for whatever team he plays and most football world adores him and Im pretty sure there are many other players of that ilk

 

I was excited about Ozil joining Arsenal back in the day but I dont think he did enough in his tenure with the club. If anything he was overpaid, over valued and overrated. Sure its not his job to defend or track back or put in a tackle but what about the press? Isnt it the job of a forward and attacking mids? How often do you we see Ozil pressing the opponents? 

[Danny]

Agree with Rando, if the likes of Bellerin and Mustafi weren't colossal fuck ups defensively him being a "luxury" wouldn't be as played on. Not many luxuries with his stats anyway.