goonerfamily
Active Member
Yeah Özil’s obviously a good passer of the ball but he’s never had that ability to regularly play eye of the needle, defence-splitting passes à la Fabregas or Kevin de Bruyne.
The best feature of his game has always been his movement / ability to find space in between the lines. The way he ‘ghosts’ into positions of space is fantastically intelligent. Once there, I’d say the archetypical Mesut assist is a cutback / cross into the box.
I think that our decision to sell donkey Giroud (who thrived off those crosses / first time finishes in the box) is one of the main reasons Özil’s stats have dropped off a cliff so spectacularly. Mesut’s best season at the club, by miles, came when he was bouncing balls off that donkey’s head into the goal.
But I thought that Giroud was the reason Özil didn't break the assist record in the 15/16 season?
Agree about Özil's strengths in the past and how he's different to Cesc etc but I think the main reason Özil's stats have fallen off is a combination of a few factors. Firstly, Emery doesn't really suit Özil as a manager. Secondly, Özil has declined physically. Thirdly, I genuinely don't think Özil is as hungry after he signed his big contract in 2018.
I genuinely believe the Özil we bought in 2013 would match beautifully with Pepe/Laca/Auba but for the above reasons, the connection with 2019 Özil just won't be there. Also, no one plays with a 10 anymore and unlike De Bruyne, Özil has never shown the will to transform his game into a modern number 8.