Today a guest post by Tim Head
Mesut Ozil, one of the all-time greats …
Throughout the summer we heard calls for a marquee signing, and a suggestion that Arsenal under Wenger could not only not compete at the high end of the transfer market but actively didn’t want to do so. Some fans suggested that was because Wenger and the Board were trying to fleece the loyal supporters in order to feather their own nests, whilst others maintained that the reason was a dithering out of touchness with the realities of modern life. It seemed fashionable at the time for the media to portray The Arsenal as a once great club whose stubbornness and old-world values would confine them to forever play second fiddle to the truly great and lavishly funded new-era mega clubs. The views of some fans were even less charitable.
And then came Özil, and for a while everything changed. He was the greatest midfielder in the world, Madrid were mad to sell him, The Arsenal were back, he was the signing of the summer. All these sentiments and more were expressed with varying degrees of sincerity and politeness on TV and in the papers while the Twitter world was awash with pride and envy. All through the Autumn a newly confident Arsenal eased the ball about the park, with Özil’s orchestrations seeing an inexorable rise to the top of the table and Champions League qualification. The memories glow and linger: the ball plucked from mid-air and delivered on a plate to Giroud; the first time drive and assist to destroy Napoli; the brace against Norwich; the telepathic combination with Ramsey before passing the ball into the Tigers net, and always, always vision and grace, even when juggling gum. The Arsenal had found their man, and although clearly not genuine title contenders, they were at least able to provide a different narrative for the press and compelling evidence that despite the inexplicable stumblings of the heavyweights, the Premier League was the best in the world.
And all of this was fine for the vested interests (so ably served by their punditry puppets) in October and November, because although top of the league, Arsenal could not win the title. They needed a striker (despite Giroud’s top form), their defence was still vulnerable (but it took an example several seasons’ old to illustrate this), there was no back up to Giroud (but step forward Lord Bendtner), Wenger doesn’t do tactics (oh really?), December’s run of fixtures would see them slip (almost but not quite, and if it hadn’t been for schedules and prehistoric refereeing, then not at all). So here we are, on January the whatever, and still The Arsenal are one point clear at top, having played everybody at least once, just like all the other clubs. And does this make everyone happy? Are the League Bosses pleased? Are the TV companies delighted? Are all the Arsenal fans ecstatic? Strangely – indeed bizarrely – it would seem very much not.
So now cue the most insidious whispers of all: Özil is not the player everyone thought he was. He is lazy. He goes missing. He was only good because of Ronaldo. He doesn’t tackle back. He isn’t really cut out for the hardest league in the world. He is another Arsenal pretty boy. He wasn’t worth the money, because he isn’t a match winner. And do you know what, people who have played and watched football all their lives (and some who have played at the very highest level) choose to believe these vile slanders. And because they pass on these ideas, so to do all the young Twitter warriors, and, no doubt in time, so will some of the supporters, who will inexplicably start to doubt and to jeer and possibly to create an atmosphere where one of the greatest players of all time loses confidence and decides that playing for The Arsenal isn’t such the great idea it seemed back in October. And that will be job done for those who can’t bear the thought that success might be honestly earned and planned for, for those whose snouts are firmly in the oil-fueled slush bucket, for those who for their own strange reasons want to see a change of managerial regime at The Emirates. It is called misinformation and as Orwell predicted, whole sections of the media are devoted to saying the opposite of the truth. I leave you to guess at the reasons for this.
But these lies can and must be resisted. Believe me, Özil is one of the all-time greats. He does something that very few can do, for he takes the opposition out of the game. Good players look as if they are everywhere and create the impression that their side are playing 12 against 11. Great players make it seem like 11 against 10, for their vision reduces defences as surely as if a red card has been issued. Özil is a space maker and a game changer. He makes good team mates into great ones: great ones into legends. He is unique, and he is ours. Bother to look at him properly and you will see what Arsene saw, but what Jose only glimpsed. Savour every moment, shout his name out loud, defend him against the doubters and above all be proud. He is very, very special, and if you can’t see that you either don’t know your football or you have sold your soul.
And perhaps most importantly, my daughter Katy, all 10 years old of her, wanted an Özil away kit for Christmas more than anything – and I seriously wouldn’t recommend getting on the wrong side of her….
Tim can be found on Twitter @foreverheady .
Positively Arsenal 
I think Ozil is still in shock at the level of violence that is accepted as a ‘good tackle’ in Blighty.
Every week he walks a tightrope of some Orc trying to make sure he doesn’t get to the World Cup. Suarez will be hacked down too in April.
Look at Jack – always running into the opposition traffic like a headless chicken, he should learn a bit from Ozil, stand off a bit and see the better pass. Do we want a league full of Glenn Wheelans and Charile Adams? – I hope not.
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Good Stuff!
Many great comments too. If I could write I would have asked PIMP to write a blog for me, that was an amazing post too. Not much left to add after the above
As some of you know, I have chosen to become a self-declared expert on pace in football. I’m not sure what that means, but if you can’t beat ’em…
Ozil: The thing that I have picked up with my expert eye is that he is not slow *coughs*. When Theo Walcott has not been available this has been helpful. If that is still not clear then people should notice how often Ozil takes up the right flank position in the absence of any speedsters more often then not, especially when Arsenal choose to defend a lead. That is a part of his normal game but I think the selfless one has been happy to find that space to release the pressure when required. He was magnificent against Villa. If you listen to the BBC 5live commentry of the game, it is beyond priceless: Savage is in the process of praising Villa’s narrow back line and their Gr*t just as Ozil plays in Monreal, no plunditry on how he dropped back to release the LB making a run behind said narrow line this time as opposed to the RB Sagna who had started so well on the opposite flank, those spitting cobra weaves that Hunter was talking about. Savage must have been the other dude in the PIMP’s post.
And you won’t see Ronaldo making a tackle or winnning a foul in the RB spot. But then, they are completely different types of players!
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If you listen to the BBC 5live commentry of the game, it is beyond priceless:
ah thats fine at least you had to put up with comedy…i was listening to the sky experts and for more than half an hour the theme was city;s champion form and how jose’s chelsea is picking up …will arsenal be able to follow them? …. if that was not enough , i think its martin tayler..they got his voice in fifa13 i think…and i played it with some friends in xmas holidays and even in the game they talk about lack of ambition, injuries, spend some fucking money……
in true goebellic fashion arsenal has been convicted and tagged and scarred in media, in games, in the conscious of the public arsenal is the “almost there” club …another shit story started by united fans mocking wenger about being the bride….fucking hate how banter against arsenal is held as the reality that defines us yet the more actual and realistic plasticness and corruption of say chelsea is ignored……
even last week i saw a headline for an article saying” moyes not big enough to influence refs like saf”…..so not only do we accpet that saf would influence refs..it is passed on as a non matter and also the new manager is accused for not doing same…. howver when everyone of you has had a discussion with a united fan telling him that saf bullies refs and gets free points they call you deluded.
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Ozil is too subtle a player for some, they’re still trying to figure him out. He is, as Ian Wright said of Bergkamp, “an architect of space”. He knows where it is, how to find it, how to create it (for himself and others), and how to help others do the same. The way he released Monreal for Wilshere’s goal, as finsbury described, is a great example of his intelligence and vision. Perhaps his price tag has left some with unrealistic expectations of a player who should be beating defenders for fun and rifling goals into the top corner, someone who should win games on his own. But he’s not a crowd-pleasing highlights player and he plays for others rather than for himself. Ozil needs his teammates to be on his wavelength and that’s something that’s still developing, he came to us four and a half months ago and didn’t have a pre-season to get properly acquainted. Despite all that, being at a new club in a new league without a pre-season, he has 5 goals and 9 assists in 22 games so far.
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its like a no win situation ..as if they take pleasure in intentionally lying in our faces and when we naturally get offended by the idiocy and levels of ignorance and give some back they tell us that we got pompous and cocky all of a sudden and that we deserve to lose and everything that has happened to us the last few years.
however thats ok……. can live with that…..what i can not tolerate is grown people intentionally using a period of rebuilding for the whole of the club as the right time to moan and ciritise about optimum seasons and titles. youve built a stadium, youre playing with kids who have no experience and you think now is the time to initiate inquests as to why we havent won titles? …….how pathetic indeed.
arsenal never…never was 8th and 9th in fucking january ..stadium or no stadium..vieira or denilson… now look at that shower of shit at united. or how jose asks for patience ffs……at chelsea with 200m budgets….
the weirdest thoughis that there is noone in the media to speak the fucking truth and say :
hang on a minute…united is in debt, saf left and already they loook like they will need 150+ million, and a minimum 5-6 year rebuilding period…chelsea was bankrupt and heading for administration till brown and blair changed the ownership rules ….city is a dubai consortium…if there is one club that deserves to iwn titles based on the preparation and work they have done that is undoubtedly arsenal…noone else. and this is not a biassed statement this is the objective truth.
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“an architect of space”
Ian Wright said that? do me a favour He could hardly spell “am” let alone say “architect”
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Every week he walks a tightrope of some Orc trying to make sure he doesn’t get to the World Cup. Suarez will be hacked down too in April.
i see and raise:
eduardo was smashed for sending england out of them euros inside wembley
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Great comments everyone, and welcome to I’ve Sold my Soul (as opposed to my fishmonger mate, who sold his sole). Funnily enough it was two Liverpool supporters who inspired the blog: one, a friend of my wife’s who was irritatingly insistent after the Villa match, the other a colleague who above all else this season has enjoyed the Man U scenario, but who has also questioned Ozil. At times they are both wise thinkers about the game, but still seem to need an all-action UK approach before awarding ultimate accolades.
If truth be told, I am a hapless and old-fashioned romantic who would love the League to be played out regularly between Arsenal, Liverpool and Man U, but the new landscape is as it is and we have to live with that. It is great to see Liverpool doing well this season, but the lack of match day income will continue to haunt and diminish, just as it will do to Spurs. The move to The Emirates was done just in time and continues to make sense. Without that we couldn’t now be contemplating new signings this January, nor I suspect would we have had the breathing space to have committed as we did to the British core a year or so ago. That was the moment when The Arsenal signaled its intent and its understanding of the zeitgeist, so no great surprise those signings were greeted with almost universal underwhelment.
I hear young Ramsey is on his way back too; I hope he has had a good rest and is ready to pick up his early season form: in three matches time he will be there to take a bit of pressure off Jack, who just now is commanding the headlines.
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Ian Wright, recalling the goal against Newcastle, tells Winner: “He’s an architect of space, so I reckon he’s done the drawings, measured everything and built it all in a split-second.”
http://uk.askmen.com/sports/fanatic/dennis-bergkamp-3.html
No need to thank me George *wink*
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Leo,not a chance Wright said that .I have listened to him and watched him Not a chance in hell. The man is as thick as two short planks.
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Hahaha. I like to think Wrighty’s love and admiration for Dennis inspired some lucid thought. Even a simpleton can have his moments. Can you not give him the benefit of the doubt?
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No,I’m afraid not. Its too far from anything I have seen from him. A bit like one of those monkeys writing the full works of Shakespeare,it might work in theory,but not in reality.
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Liverpool fans wanting an all action UK approach? Jesus, have we learnt nothing from Rafa (witness the magisterial substitution of a headless chicken Gerrard for Lucas in the Goodison derby of 2007) and Brendan Rodgers? I’d like to think we have. TTempo control and creation of space are our watchwords these days. Stopping crosses and tracking opposition midfielders, not so much.
But allied to these requirements, for Liverpool at least, are work rate and character, and it’s these elements of Ozil’s game that seem to me to be lacking. The former may not be so important in the way you play, but the latter is mandatory for a “an all time great”.I can understand,for instance, why Mourinho isn’t keen on Mata, absurd as it may seem. However, stick Mata in Arsenal’s set up and – well – you’d have yet another fucking incredible attacking midfielder. I’m not advocating one philosophy over another, but it might serve to illustrate the perspective through which a Liverpool (and, perhaps, after Jose wins the league next year) a Chelsea fan might view your Mesut. It’s not just the goals and the flair that have cemented a place in Liverpool fans’ hearts for Suarez – it’s the indomitable spirit, the work rate, the never say die and win at all costs attitude he has. Priceless, as you know 🙂
I’m sure I’ll be back here every so often, though I have less time than expected this season; Man Utd’s fall from grace has caused me to spend the greater part of my leisure time laughing at their fans on RedCafe. It’s been a long time coming.
PS I’ve got a sneaky feeling you might just turn over Munich.
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“putting totenham out of the top four” … the hand gestures and the look in the eye …. ahh superlatives…..
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I’ve sold my soul: “There was one game where Ozil reamed Barca. Kaka was in the middle and created a shitload of space for Ozil to work in. But in the main … no. He tended to disappear. I think Ozil can be shut out of the game by a team determined to do so. But even then, he has his value in creating space elsewhere on the pitch.”
One thing is to disappear and quite another to be marked out of the game because his manager played him out wide and left out creative players for fear that his midfield will be overrun. If you want a better assessment of Ozil, check out what he did to England in SA when he was twenty one years old.
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Would like to see that again Gains, well remembered.
Why hasn’t Fins posted a link to that yet?
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8766424.stm
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Very nice read! I’ve been enjoying Özil this season for his eye for the killer pass as in the last match and incredible skill. What impressed me most from last match was calmness during the second half when all around him our players were, let’s say, less than calm. He made 28 of 29 passes in the second half and calmed things down… He is in a different class…
Scary thing is, I think we will see him even better as we go along!
Don’ t remember who pointed out the Poznan blog but thanks, like this site it’s now bookmarked!!
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Personally, I don’t really like the “individual genius” philosophy by which players become little gods, those “all time greats” … or at least there are in fact very, very few such players. Amongst the departed, Eusebio was one, extraordinary athlete, ball controller, striker and on-field character. Socrates was another, and the difference between the two could not be pronounced, Socrates being the great mind and game-controller and team captain. In any event, players only ever really can be fully judged as “all time greats” after retirement or death, not when they are 25 or 27 or even 29. For Arsenal I think only two players in the last 20 years were truly “all-time greats”, and that is Dennis, for elegance, and Thierry, for those goals. Paddy is close, but not quite in the same stunner-league. Suarez might get there. He’s a dangerous striker.
For Mesut, like other wonderful players, it is what he does well and on the field in our team context and combinations that count, not what he does not so well or “in theory”. He has his personality, his style his way of being effective. He is the best Mesut in the world. He is also the finest and least fussy final assist-passer and space-maker (in the sense of the final pass, and movement just beforehand) in the world today, there is no doubt for me. He is above all, an attacking midfielder, his job is to split the defense. He is better, faster, more skilled on the ball and harder working than his detractors think, and not yet the finished player, as his most ardent fans might think.
Time will tell …
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I remember an intriguing discussion about which English players have been all-time greats in recent memory, Beckham, Rooney, Gerrard et al. For me, Beckham yes, he transformed football matches with that long-range passing accuracy, otherwise average and not in any sense the all-round midfielder; Rooney, maybe will be, not yet; Gerrard, probably not, excellent is many respects controlling games and game-changing 20-yard goals but never seemed to consistently rise to giddy heights he was likely capable of, a personal opinion. I thought had he been transformed into an “old-fashioned” # 10, he probably would be. Seaman, potentially, but not quite stunner-level. Wright, no, not quite. Adams, no, best defender in England for a long time and a fine captain but too “English” tactically and technically a little lacking.
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i really dont get this suarez and mesut comparism. if anything, they both suffer the same fate this season. ozil hasnt done great against big teams this season and same goes for suarez. liverpool havent won many big games this season because suares’ influence were limited. suares is a great striker, the best in the league, but 95% of his goals were against teams below top six.
if you play against big teams and you are marked out, there is realy nothing much you can do. and you have to be a good player for opposition managers to want to take you out of the game by any means posible. mesut does so well against teams that allows him to play his game as suares scores many against teams that allows him play his game.
i dont remember him troubling us at the emirates.
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Liverpool, like us, were hampered by refs against both chelski and city. penalties denied, offsides incorrect and players not sent off would have a big affect on the perceived success of players like suarez against these sides.
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AA
To be fair I don’t understand how anyone could forget that game and the performances from the likes of Terry & Cole.
Best LB in the world we were told by the Arsenal experts. Yet by his own relatively recent admission the only time Cole could be arsed to actually bust a gut and play after his move from the Arsenal was under Ancelotti and during their CL cup run (he was rested during the later league games). You see, after all those baubles he’d won in N5 just like the Player at ManIOU he moved on for the trophies *coughs*. Obviously.
Layksite
Suarez had an efficient game during the 2-2 early in 2013. An error provided him with what I would call a half chance and the finish was ruthless. He’s a good footballer and there’s no denying it. Was hoping to see him help The Arsenal this season and to put some goals past the Oilers and there’s still time for him to chip in to the good cause.
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I’m not sure Ozil, or Suarez for that matter are less effective as such against big sides. It’s not like that most of the time. Teams are well matched, make less mistakes, margins are thin, defenses tight and game-plans cagey, especially in opening exchanges and in these sorts of games a single ref decision can make a huge impact. It’s rare teams or players are “rampant” one way or other. The City game was quite exceptional in that regard. Goals more often than not in these games arise from a little luck on the day, a slight advantage, a single move and one goal differences, if any, are more typical.
Both players are superb, would make first eleven in any team in the EPL. Suarez seems highly rated because he is a striker full of energy and scores zippy goals, and he’s been around a while; Ozil’s subtlety and linking play on the ball attracts a little less attention, and he is still fairly new. In fact, player for player I can remember very few who have made more impact in such a short space of time. I like Ozil and we need to recall Per’s process in 2 seasons, from “not too bad, but oh so slow” by the Arsenal fair-weather types to “best defender by a distance in EPL” midway through this season.
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Tomáš Rosický.
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2039204.html?
In spite of his injuries, apart from a damp and miserable corner of the internet, it is clear that he is a popular player in the game. The misery merchants will try and tell you that he had a bad drug habit (seriously, who cares if he did?) but I am yet to see such sports science enthusiasts explain why he lost his ability to hit thirty yard screamers after a made up case of tendonitis.
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Superb article, wonderful replies and links. Thanks.
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The misery merchants will try and tell you that he had a bad drug habit (seriously, who cares if he did?)
have heard that rumour too ….cocaine…. love him even more now…legend! one of us!!
was reading zimpauls posts and i got a excited and started making world 11s ..again…
1.buffon
2.carlos
3.maldini
4.sammer
5.cafu
6.vieira
7.pirlo
8 zidanne
9.bergkamp
10.maradona
11.ronaldo the phenomenon
after work im running home to create this team somewhere..playstation ..fifa …pc…anywhere and run it and see what happens.
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matthe stanger in f365 syas that if youre going to fail its best to fail with kids with regards to totenham….that its ok and acceptable and realistic…..he is also on twitter..find him and ask him :
” were you saying the same when wenger was getting 4th and 3rd with 18year olds and 21 yearolds you fucking cunt ? or were you talking about the lack of spending/ambition nd thatthe kids were not good enough? we wont forget you cunts!”
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Hunter
Haha. It was the loss of the old ‘snap, crackle and pop’ in those long range shots which made me conclude that these stories about were inspired by a late night binge that would’ve been best avoided.
Not to mention that he has rarely started three games in a week since. not to mention the frequency of the niggles immediately after his return. All the evidence seme to point to the injury problems as reported.
Not to mention the track record of those repeating the coke story. Sorry dude, but if I was a punter I’d have to conclude that the odds are that they are chatting shit. Again.
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Thanks for the link Fins; on balance a game I’ve been happy to forget …
Still, how old was Ozil in that game?
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Trigger has gone nightmare
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well … to be perfectly honest i dont think its crap..ive heard it from elsewhere too …not only in english media… but i dont care..he is a football artist and not some hooligan/thug/cunt like say terry …no wonder he was really sad when he broke his nose against villa ( ahahaha)
look ..we all knwo what was going on in them figo and carlos parties at madrid….mountains of it….. (big smile)
ive also heard form north londoners who know gibbs and wilshere from schools and neighborhoods etc and they have told me that as persons they are really rotten and flashy and arrogant when they go out….lol…proper ashley coles all of them…. posers
i understand it though..these kids grew up being made fun off for ebing too skinny …too short….too focused on football when everyone else was out having a good time..so now with their money and status in their work and personal life they are out for payback….lol… character building….
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Against Chelsea last season Diaby hit a shot from distance early into his return from injury which made me wince. He should avoided such an effort until he was several games back in.
You don’t lose that kind of strength and conditioning from a coke habit (as far as I know, which isn’t very far to be honest), you lose it beause you haven’t been able to use the limb (leg in this instance) properly.
It’s also hard to imagine that this character who inspires his fellow professionals wherever he plays, from Fabregas to Reus, fell out of love with the game to such an extent. There’s no evidence for that but there is plenty for his injuries.
I can’t be 100% sure but I’m happy to speculate that he is no Mutu!
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> that shot from Diaby against Chelsea led to him having to go off. Alas, we haven’t seen much of him since. It’s going to be very tough for him to return. I haven’t seen as much football as many, but I have rarely seen a player with the skill of Diaby.
The club have done the right thing by supporting and keeping him. You can’t buy class.
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“You can’t buy class.”
I believe you can for £43m
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Spend spend spend!
Arsenal FC should take out a Payday loan in order to ensure they win the league. After being gazumped on Mata they waited about a season before picking up some random rubbish called Carzola. Has The Law learnt nothing from Master Levy?
Wonga not Wenger.
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Even Arseblog is seeing sense today.
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To be honest it doesn’t matter who we sign as long as we sign at least five people as it lifts the squad apparently.
I ‘m certainly open to sitting in the changing room telling jokes and shouting at players at half time.
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finsbury
January 16, 2014 at 12:47 pm
it doesnt bother me at all if tomas does the diego every once and a while nor does it mean he cant inspire other people in football just cause he might snort a few …diego inspired millions..still does…musicians the same….
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Yup. Doesn’t bother me either.
If a rock and roll star had tendonitis in their wrist or forearm I would guess that the reason that they would not be going on tour for a long period would be because they were incapable of playing the guitar without excruciating pain, not because they had a sniffle and fancied a few weeks in rehab.
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DISCLAIMER *It is not the view of this blog that Tomas has or ever had a drug habit*
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heh goerge….. we love him regardless.
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I’m going to watch that Rosicky interview when I get home. Thanks, Fin.
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I don’t buy into this idea that Ozil might lack something in the way of character or fortitude. He went to a World Cup aged 21 and performed on the biggest stage. Then flourished at Real Madrid, where the home crowd have huge expectations and will moan and groan and boo when they are not met. A team known for big egos and cliques, especially last season. If he can flourish there, and under Mourinho no less, who is hardly one to coddle fragile or sensitive players, I think it’s difficult to question his strength of character.
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I agree with Leo.
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Gains, that video is only a few minutes long!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63rcdLeXiU8
“cramping my s-style”
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As for Ozil’s work rate, as great as it is to have players willing to run through proverbial brick walls for your team I think there’s also something to be said for players who can manage their output to keep themselves fresh and injury free. Including Germany games, Ozil has averaged almost 60 games a season for the last 5 seasons. That’s immense so he obviously manages his body very well. If the price you pay for having a player of his ability available for practically every game is that he doesn’t contest those 50-50s to protect his ankles, that he jogs back to defend rather than break into a sprint to keep a hamstring from popping, etc., I think that’s a price worth paying. And I imagine almost every manager in the world would take that compromise.
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