A guest post by Kelly Woods @kmwoods02
Aaron Ramsey had his worst game in 12 months against Everton. He tried too hard. He forced things. Yes, he scored a goal, but don’t miss the fact that his performance was poor. And speaking of goals, I’m worried that he’s publicly admitted that he set himself a target of 20 goals this season. Whoa, there, son. Remember, it’s not about you. I know you want to start taking games by the scruff of the neck, but remember to just play your game.
These are all things that have come across my Twitter timeline since Saturday’s game. And I follow positive, considered people, who really do support our players. I know they do. And I respect and value all of them and their opinions – at least I do since I cleaned up who I follow. I cannot imagine what the rest of Twitter is saying, and I really don’t want to try. But if you will, let me articulate how I disagree with almost everything in that first paragraph. And to ask that we consider what it is that we really want from players.
First let me get this out of the way – Aaron was not at his effervescent best against Everton. I support, but I’m not blind. The whole team was out of sorts, and most of what he tried didn’t come off. Also true of other players as well. But let me point out a few things, courtesy of the stats-tastic 7amKickoff and his By the Numbers column for Arseblog:
Out of 69 passes attempted (the most for the team), 12 were misplaced. All but 2 of those misplaced were attacking passes, trying to create a chance. 5 of them were in prime areas, where goal conversion rates are high. One of the aforementioned 2 was just horrible – it went straight to an Everton player and almost gave me a heart attack. Only 4 tackles attempted, 2 of which were successful, and no dribbles. And no chances created. Also, there was that goal.
Ok, so what do stats show? Not the whole story, I’m well aware of that. Aaron’s defensive game was a bit weak and his attacking game was ineffectual on the whole. I think that had a lot to do with not having Arteta next to him, and trying to compete with Jack and Alex for space in the middle. But the question remains – what was he supposed to be doing in this game, and did he do it?
I think we should all come to grips with this fact: Aaron is a flair player. He will always try the Hollywood pass. Some seem to think that he’s changed somehow, that he doesn’t do that anymore. And they see yesterday’s performance as a reversion to a previous flawed way of playing. Nonsense. He has always been this player. By all accounts it’s been so since he was 8 years old. Stories of him demanding the ball from older teammates abound. “Let me do it” has always been his way. His off-pitch personality belies this fact, perhaps, as some don’t expect shy, quiet, introverts to behave this way. But it’s been said of him forever that he “expresses himself on the pitch”.
But, Kelly, I hear you say. Arsene said he told him to simplify his game. To go back to basics. True. But Aaron said this in an interview when asked about that:
“It was a difficult period for me where things weren’t happening the way I would like them to, and he called me in and just told me to simplify my game and get my confidence back that way…I did that for a few games, and then obviously you get more confident as every game goes on, and, yeah, I’m thankful for that.” (emphasis added)
That says to me that simplifying his game was not intended to be a permanent change. At least he didn’t interpret it that way. And Arsene had this to say Saturday:
“He has the engine and he gambles on getting in the box a lot and he has that timing to get where you need to be. He got rewarded like these kind of players do.”
“Gambles.” He gambles. He takes risks. He gets rewarded. He has a “can’t win if you don’t enter” mentality. He has said that he wants to improve his ability to take big games by the scruff of the neck and change them. He has goal targets that he has set for himself. But somehow, all that is now being seen as a potential liability, some sort of indication that he is putting himself above the team. Don’t we want a player that is ambitious? That tries to change games? That wants to score? What do we want, if not that? One of the biggest complaints I hear in games like yesterday is “Somebody DO something! Move, or something!” Yet Aaron tries to do just that, and he has a “poor” game, because it doesn’t come off.
I know I am really preaching to the choir here. This is a supporting group of people, many of whom told me yesterday not to worry, that he just had an off day. But here’s the thing. I’m not worried about him. I’m worried about us. This is exactly what I was afraid would happen. His miraculous exploits last season were a joy to watch. But they won’t continue – at least not like that. He is a marked man now. Teams have found out he is good, he will be given much less room to operate. And he is, by his own admission, still trying to improve his game. I’m confident he will continue scoring us goals. But all this means mistakes will happen. Do we really want to start down the road about how badly he’s played, how he’s struggling for form? Why do we do this? “Uh oh, the old Ramsey is rearing his head. Hope this doesn’t mean last season was a fluke.” It’s like we are always waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the bad thing to happen to us. Optimism reigns, until it doesn’t.
Here’s my fear. Suppose it doesn’t change? Suppose the next game is the same as Everton – he does a few things brilliantly, but at the same time lots of things don’t come off? What will we say then? Because the haters and naysayers will start in – they’ve already started I would imagine. Despair that we thought we had a “world-class” player, but of course we can’t have nice things, so look, he’s being shit again. I’m steeling myself for that, and I’m ready to defend him. I hope you are, too.
Positively Arsenal 
Re the Capital One cup, I’m not at all surprised that we drew Southampton. I wonder if all 3 of their ex-players will be on the pitch on the night?
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“Questions over Debuchy’s discipline and decision-making first rose their head after his first season at Newcastle, when he was sent off for a wild challenge on Philippe Coutinho in May 2013. He received eight Premier League bookings last season, supplemented by a red card for a two-footed lunge on Claudio Yacob in January.”
muaha…him and matthieu will become inseperable.
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Thanks Passenal – that’s made me feel better. And I think we seem a lot more rugged this season with Debuchy and Monreal both having good games thus far.
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Rugged.?
Downright nasty wnen needed.
Let the word go out – This Arsenal team won’t get pushed around.
A lot of bullies are going to be for a shock.
This is Arsenal – now with Kung fu.
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@voodoo 13
do u still have them tickets for weekend game?
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wanderson…ludogorec
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Voodoo13,
“cazorla is the best signing in recent years….”
ABSOLUTELY!!!
I rate him far better than Ozil but I am giving Alexis some more time. What Cazorla did in his first season in England is extra-ordinary. He is highly under-appreciated in my opinion. Tonight he added defending to his game and it was beautiful. To be fair, they all defended like hell in the game.
I guess none of them wants to play on Spursday.
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I’m in the US at the moment so had to watch the game in a Puma shop and I to was shaking at the end so much so people kept asking me if I was alright. Can’t believe just how bad the ref was again but it showed this team really has balls
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I rate him far better than Ozil
ah pepper in your mouth you effing doomer……. ozil is the new bergkamp….. the best 10 in the world as per the cunt one…..and we are both stupid for failing to recognise the immense contribution of the turkish cruyff. my favourite moments are when his teammates are throwing their bodies around to save the day and ali pasa mesut is jogging …such a fucking rockstar..love him to bits.
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hehe …GEORGAKI !!!
wenger in talks with dortmund to bring papa for 15m..they are asking 25
source: gianluca di margio
hope dies last.
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I was at work while the game was played monitoring on the net and the commentators did a total job on me. Why is Ray Parlour part of the media sensationalist brigade?
Anyway I finally watched the game on my DVR. Excellent team performance, no exception. The team is gelling. This new way of playing with Sanchez up fornt will take some time but it will be murder when we start clicking. I have no doubt.
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hey shotta..when walcott gets back …do you play sanchez or theo up front….?
im thinking theo up front..ozil behind him and santi + sanchez on the flanks ? or ok im happy with a theo/alexis switch too. mayeb they can swap positions during game and confuse the hell out of cbs and fbs…
also this way we wont have to suffer watching ozil jogging provocatively while the rest of his teammates throw their bodies around for the result.
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Sanchez would be my choice.
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If Walcott gets the nod up top he won’t be lucky enough to be playing against Dawson every week (a moment to mourn his passing from Tottenham), but he did pretty well against Tottenham in the cup.
I think the Plan was to ease in Alexis on the right, then mix it all up when Walcott returns, with Alexis then given opportunities to rotate with OG in the middle and TW on the right as Walcott himself got himself up to speed.
And after that? Tiki-taka-bang-bang!
So as it stands they’re just throwing Alexis into the CF role a little earlier then they’d have liked. You could see the confidence and sharpness increase in the player after he scored his first goal for the club and removed the shackles of what even to him must have been a large transfer fee and the nerves associated with moving to a new city and for him a new culture. SANCHEZ! In the austerity years he was my fantasy signing alongside Aguero. Now AFC have got him, and he’s only 25!
Very glad that Özil can bring his chill to that left side and use a minor CL qualifier as his pre-season run around, whilst setting up the goal that decides the tie. Absolute legend! Haha. Suck it up haters.
I wonder if the Redzone twits who worship Mourinho because they are suppressed Gazprom fanboys can recognise the wisdom in Özil’s fitness programme as opposed to rushing a player back from a WC in a year when there was less recovery time before and after the WC. The new Gazprom forward had even more injuries in the off season then Chamberlain, so it’s hardly a surprise his hammy said “enough!”. With Costa out I would love it, just love it, if Lukaku scores against his old club on the weekend.
Chamberlain was also playing with heavy legs after sixty mins, yet he needed the competitive minutes just like Özil, there’s another important game coming up on Sunday. Who’d be a manager? Not me!
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voodoo13,
I try very hard not to criticise Ozil but every time I look at the 2 goals that we conceded at Goodison park, I think he could have done better. I don’t think that he understands that defending is not just about standing near the person you are marking but CONTESTING the ball with them.
1st Goal: Ozil let Coleman go for the ball untroubled. Maybe Coleman would still have got to the ball before him but it wouldn’t have been the free header that it was.
2nd Goal: Ozil did something good here – he sprinted over 50 yards to get to Lukaku. But like the 1st goal, he again stopped once very close to the Everton attacker rather than try to contest the ball with him. I might be the only one but I have been wondering why he busted his lungs to get that close to Lukaku if he wasn’t going to try to get the ball from him.
I have never been happier with Arsene than when I saw him take out Ozil as we were reduced to 10 men yesterday. Ozil needs to watch Cazorla and particularly Alexis – these are 2 flair players who would regularly get down and dirty when occasion demands it. He needs to start doing the same or maybe we should just resign ourselves to the fact that he wouldn’t.
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Very glad that Özil can bring his chill to that left side and use a minor CL qualifier as his pre-season run around, whilst setting up the goal that decides the tie. Absolute legend! Haha. Suck it up haters.
hand in heart…how do you feel when santi ( far ahead in contribution to the team/club) runs his socks off to defend…hold ball..provide options…while ozil jogs provocatively? you approve?
how do you feel when watching sanchez giving his last ounce of energy for the team while ozil complains to flamini when he rightly tells him to man up?
how do you feel when ozil protects his delicate sensitive beautiful face from oncoming pass/deflection and turns his back at ball ?
i dont know about you…but even pires..the epitome of laid back, casual style “look like he aint interested”..even he had the “nerve”…and if you tell me pires lacked quality vision or contribution or that he couldne be aplaymeker form the flanks or that he is/was a lesser player than ozil then ill call you a bit mad…heh..
robert pires…a right footed central midfielder with no particular pace played on left wing for arsenal and made ryan giggs who is an expert left winger look amateur. enough said.
ozil is intelligent and has quality but he is a spineless pansy and he is the type who in a war will hide under dead bodies and in his return home will shamelessly accept the medal.
like fuck if wenger and arsenal have sacrificed and worked all these years for that luxury diva to walk on the pitch as if having nothing to prove…..he has a lot to prove….he does not have the “credit” yet to do/act as he wants…..first year we were lenient..this year he has to repay manager and club’s faith and fans patience.
minimum return of 15g/15a or a combination that registers 30 and a serious presence in big games and maybe i change my mind……
CAZORLA ! thats how you do it!
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He needs to start doing the same or maybe we should just resign ourselves to the fact that he wouldn’t
thats exactly whats pissing me off bootoome……that we seem to resign ourselves to the fact that he wouldnt
who the hell is he ?
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Urgh. What. A. Load. Of Rubbish. Not worthy of this blog. Sorry. Red card!
Hand on or in heart voodoo it’d be nice if you stopped vaguely trolling comments on PA and read them properly. Please.
As explained above I expected no more from him as he is so far behind in his fitness, he’s off the pace. Same as Chamberlain who missed a sitter from six yards because he was too “lazy” to use his left foot? Idiots said about Chamberlain “he’s not trying” in the second half. I like to think I’m not an idiot.
Chamberlain and Özil were both blowing minutes into the second half, same as Sanchez against Palace…not forgetting Cazorla who decided he wasn’t up for that game after receiving some heavy early knocks not called as foul. I don’t mind, my favourite player Cazorla like Özil last night wasn’t fully match fit for the Palace game and like Cazorla I’d probably have been just as pissed off at the ref as he was, and had a sulk (he was feeling the knock a little) for most of the rest of the game too.
You should at least have the grace to give Özil some games to get up to the same speed as those in the game around him, or are you choosing to ignore AW’s comments on the fitness requirements into the modern game that he made in pre-season? That you need several games at best to get up to speed. A fit and fresh Özil is the player we all saw, for example, take the game by the scruff Away against a very good and then in form Southampton side. Chambers also caught someone’s eye in that game…
As Passenal explained above Ozil is only playing left because he doesn’t have the legs yet to play in the centre. We all know this, we’ve seen it before with other players returning after injury etc. such as with the darling F Word, so why are you ignoring the fact?
So in answer to your query, if you don’t like his game, you don’t like it. I do. And so do coaches like AW and JL.
I don’t think it’s a shame that he doesn’t lose his head and make a complete idiot of himself running around all over the shop playing with the temperament of three year old who has just been denied some ice cream in a WC SF, I mention no names.
Özil played quite well in his SF. Helped his team to win the game.
There is no need for any further comment on this topic for me.
I can’t take someone ignoring players’ conditioning seriously.
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these are 2 flair players who would regularly get down and dirty when occasion demands it.
oh please how dare you ????…ozil is the best ten in the world …so says the cunt who called wenger the specialist in failure ………………………………………
ozil is better than fabregas … (???what???)
he has a wc medal now..showing it to everyone too…. not like mueler or sebi had anything to do with that …….. it was all ozil..thats why you see this snob demi god style…
best not to upset him though …. the boy is sensitive ……..
rosicky all day
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Another random example in addition to Southampton Away, the Tackle to win back possession that led to JW’s equaliser against West Brum….
…hand on heart I’ve never read so much rubbish about a player on this blog as I have read above. Except for a certain performance in a WC SF.
Sorry George, it’s true.
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voodoo13,
I agree that it is frustrating. Very frustrating. And because of his price tag and the crown (‘best 10 in the world’) that Mourhino put on him, nobody wants to hear any criticism of his performances no matter how justified and evidence based.
You might like this article of mine published on Untold last season:
http://untold-arsenal.com/archives/34236
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he’s off the pace.
so is/was sanchez.
. A fit and fresh Özil is the player we all saw, for example, take the game by the scruff Away against a very good and then in form Southampton side.
are you serious? you think wenger paid 42.5 million so that ozil “owns” …southampton? is that your best example?
As Passenal explained above Ozil is only playing left because he doesn’t have the legs yet to play in the centre. We all know this, we’ve seen it before with other players returning after injury etc. such as with the darling F Word, so why are you ignoring the fact?
fact? lol…..
first of all …if he plays in centre as traditional ten he dont have to run as much as he would in flanks…so the excuse/ fact of yours and passenal’s that he is played on left to gain fitness so as to play in centre is a non-sensical approach.
ask yourself what is more demanding and tiring for the legs fins? behind the striker or the left wing…….
i will remind you that in midfield you hold up space and play short pass and go….in flanks you have to spread the pitch..come in ..go out..return to defend…run forward when attacking…etc etc…..so how on earth do you decry as fact that he is playing in left cause he inat got the fitness to play wide…lol..it makes no sense dude…
and here we go again…trolling…. why say that when you later admit its about whose game you like/prefer?
and maybe i cant take any footballer seriously who is jogging provocatively while his teammates are spitting blood for the cause ……
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play center*
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George might be away, but behave yourself class!
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finsbury,
As you know, I am super supportive of our players but Ozil needs to start getting down and dirty with defensive duties like everybody else. A chain is as weak at its weakest link and we don’t want that in our team.
Don’t tell me that you weren’t relieved that he was the one replaced yesterday when we went down to 10 men. Ozil has a prima-dona attitude on the pitch. Recall his issue with Mertersacker after the Man City away loss last season?
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southampton and west brom…..wow…… i take everything back now.
hey dc why the “behave” comment…what have we done ? ..were just talking…
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Boo
Give him a bleedin’ chance! Please? I didn’t change my avatar because Santi was just as vacant against Palace.
Ozil will play, like he did away at Brum, Southanpton etc.
Just as soon as he can start to run again!
This thread is of no interest to me chaps. Have fun.
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…hand on heart I’ve never read so much rubbish about a player on this blog as I have read above.
fins i dont call your comments rubbish or anyone elses ( even though somes are)
if you think its rubbish please explain why.
i can explain 100% everything i say…some of you dont and expect it to be passed as gospel. that is not fair.
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There he goes again slagging off Arsenal players
Not for the first time
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Think I’m better off reading the Groan
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DC
When someone asks you repeat yourself because they are deliberately ignoring what has been written previously, is that trolling?
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slagging of arsenal players? lol
just cause youre doing the ostridge on this particular matter dont mean im slagging of anyone.
and my allegiance is to arsene..not ozil..wenger has nothing to prove..ozil does.
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DC
Because attempting to equate Sanchez’s fitness Özil is seriously lame,
considering that Sanchez played in the Emirates Cup…
…what can you say?
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< Equate Sanchez's fitness with Özil
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was he fit last year fins?
did we not have similar phenomena?
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yes mate …what can you say? ……
automatically we all become rubbish and groaners just because we call a spade a spade.
lets not stoop to the level of others who would call us blind followers for being 100% pragmatic and realistic ….right?….
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Because attempting to equate Sanchez’s fitness Özil is seriously lame,
youre doing the gains now and moving goalposts …..
is cazorla fit? is sanchez fit?
the point is not that one is at 60% fitness while the other is at 75% fitness. its not about equations fins…….
none of them is what youd call 100% fit…yet all of them except ozil were determined to bypass their fitness/readiness and do whats necessary…why cant you see it?
you really think ozil jogging around while bodies are thrown around has anything to do with fitness? i think its because he does not want to break his nails……
and wait….there is a huge difference between running around like a headless chicken and putting in a shift like cazorla sanchez…..but maybe they are sons of a lesser god unlike supremo ten extraordinaire ……
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finbury,
It is not a one-off. It is not about FORM; it is about ATTITUDE. Every player should be getting down and dirty when situation demands it. Ozil still has a lot to do in this respect.
I am not out to give him a hard time or start some kind of crusade against him. I am only acknowledging what I have seen since he joined us. We won’t always need him to but when occasion demands it, he should be ready to roll in the mud. Just look at Cazorla and Alexis yesterday.
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Boo
I don’t like repeating myself but Cazorla’s attitude against Palace nearly stank out the ground!
I didn’t have a problem with it.
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It is not a one-off. It is not about FORM; it is about ATTITUDE
thank you…finally the word i was looking for.
ozil has the attitude of a hundred bergamps & zidannes when he aint even half the ten rosicky was in his prime……..
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“I didn’t have a problem with it.”
you didnt have a problem with it because you know cazorla will perform in next game and will contribute like he always does. similar to not having a problem to say …konscielny giving a penalty lets say…you know he will boss opponents and you can excuse the one or two times he got it wrong becauise you knwo he will constantly put in the effort.
with ozil it is not a one-off but a systematic behaviour.
there is a difference
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when i see rosicky 33 years old tackling and chasing and pressing in opponents half …ehh sorry but ozil will have to do same whether he likes it or not…..
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It is of course possible that Mesut Ozil is not very happy in his new surroundings because he has yet to settle. Or that he is not at full fitness (despite the World Cup) having been injured against Bayern. His performances since then have not been as energetic as they were before (look at his movement off the ball to get into position for the headed goal against Norwich) but I suspect they will soon get back to that level. As for not caring, that I suspect is something that only those who share the dressing room will know. I think he cares very much indeed. As do I when anybody criticises him. Doesn’t mean they are wrong: just that I think he is a special and unusual talent.
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finsbury,
Cazorla has loads of Man of the Match, Player of the Month and a Player of the season awards in just 2 years with us. He has enough GOODWILL to let his performance against CP slide. That was a one-off. In my opinon, Ozil has been living on unearned goodwill since he joined us. I sincerely think that his price tag, the club he came from and his overall reputation is what most latch onto when defending.
I think Ozil is a good player but he needs to be more aggressive in both attack and when we need men in defence.
I’m opting out of the debate here as everyone seems (as ALWAYS in online debates) hell bent on sticking to their positions.
Peace.
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DC
At 2.11p.m. I wrote:
“Same as (with) Chamberlain who missed a sitter from six yards (last night) because he was too “lazy” to use his left foot? Idiots said about Chamberlain “he’s not trying” in the second half. I like to think I’m not an idiot”
I guess that was a waste of electricity.
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Boo
I could write a ream for you on Özil’s fitness in his first season and his fluctuations in form, but I don’t feel the need to take the time to do that because that path for him was obvious to me before his transfer was even confirmed given the average minutes he played in the gentler la liga the season before. You can look it up.
Robert needed a season to “bulk up” too. It’s not a spurious analogy, nor is it a crime to have to do so, it is simply a long term fitness programme! Some City fans compared Özil with Silva to me, saying both players needed a little bit of rotation during the season to keep them full of vim and vigour. Maybe, but I’d like to think Özil has more STAMINA.
Seriously bro, this is a very very tedious thread to me. You guys can think it’s all about attitude, but clearly his coaches, some of the best out there, hell even Maureen, they do not.
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Bootome: “Don’t tell me that you weren’t relieved that he was the one replaced yesterday when we went down to 10 men. Ozil has a prima-dona attitude on the pitch. Recall his issue with Mertersacker after the Man City away loss last season?”
Not me. I wanted Campbell to come in for the Ox in order to run at Besiktas’s tired defence. Why the fuck would anyone be relieved over one of the best creative players in the world coming off in a situation where keeping possession is imperative? The only reason Ozil was taken off is because he was spent.
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foreverheady
August 28, 2014 at 3:12 pm
i would say that messi is a special and unusual talent.
i would also say that i have seen far better and greater tens than ozil.
and mou is not a person i really listen too …….. even if it suits our “agenda” …. ….
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How am I involved in this??
As far as I am concerned last night was a very solid win, the scoreline belies how well Arsenal played.
Ozil and Sanchez are not clicking in terms of how they are reading each other’s runs – that will click-in soon.
For me, AOC’s performance was a delight to see and my personal highlight, and nobody else acquitted themselves badly at all.
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You had a whole world cup to watch Ozil play at his highest level. If you can’t see why he plays the way he does, then you’re a fucking imbecile.
Hunter wants Ozil to play like Dav1d Lui7.
Ozil shits all over Cesc.
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