Back in September 2013 Sam Tighe and Louis Lancaster looked forward to the arrival of Messut Ozil. Sam’s piece looked into how Ozil would change Arsenals tactics whereas Louis looked into why Ozil has been so successful.
Sam now writes in defence of Ozil six months later after his form has come in for criticism.
Club failure = Ozil failure
Mesut Ozil has been ruled out for three to six weeks with a hamstring tear, leaving Arsenal even thinner on the ground with regard to personnel.
Injuries have taken their toll on Arsene Wenger’s squad and all but ended their Premier League title hopes, and the latest aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich has seen any faint Champions League aspirations end too.
Ozil himself has come in for some serious flack, with much of the British press jumping on his sub-par performances against the German giants and using it to load the cannon.
The hamstring injury will give the former Real Madrid man time to lay low and duck the spotlight, but he shouldn’t be the one facing the music; It should be Wenger himself.
Ozil’s limitations are not a secret: he has never been physically strong and would frequently be taken off before the 90-minute mark by Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu.
The Portuguese manager understood his frail nature and cared for it, starting him in every game possible but still managing his fitness carefully. Mourinho also fielded him with Sami Khedira behind in defensive midfield, and his compatriot would do much of the running on Ozil’s behalf.
He really is the epitome of the classic No. 10; the floaty, glamorous playmaker who creates from between the lines but ignores any form of defensive brief.
Those players are rare in 2014, with many No. 10s now taking on a more physical, hardworking brief. Toni Kroos, Oscar and Ross Barkley are three prime examples that outline the changing role of that position.
But Ozil lives on, and plays at an elite level when utilised correctly. That doesn’t mean asking him to run until his hamstring tears, and it doesn’t mean tracking full-back runs from a defensive wing position.
Any “failures” of Ozil over the last few weeks must be attributed to Wenger, and therefore the club. A failure of any player is the failure of the club, and Wenger is putting Ozil in situations he is physically unable to succeed in.
The result is an Ozil-less Arsenal for the next three-to-six weeks, missing the North London derby and several other key fixtures.
I think Sam is correct in his submission. Every manager should be able to ascertain the strength of his players both physical and mentally. Wenger has not been able to discover what Ozil is made of, and so play him as if he is a bulldozing No 10. This is why he has been performing below per. Ozil in Real Madrid was something else due to the fact that Mourinho understood the type of player he is and the strength he has. Until Wenger discover this, Ozil will find it difficult to come to his best in Arsenal, So the… Read more »