Mesut Özil: Time to Move Ön?

[BenTal]

I really hope that Monchi find a good buyer for Özil (and of course Mustafai)! This would be a very bold start for him! (like selling Salah? But seriously who imagines that he can be such a gifted player?)

 

[say yes]

Surprised this hasn’t been posted yet. Some interesting stuff from a well-connected journalist.


Highlights for those who can’t get past paywall:

• Wenger was increasingly losing faith with Mesut in his final year here and regrets treating Özil too leniently. Had doubts about his physical fragility and people close to the former manager say he wishes that he had left Özil out more often to increase his motivation.
• Emery is frustrated about Özil’s fitness issues and wants the German to make himself available more often
• Nobody at the club has gone so far as to accuse Mesut of faking his ailments (which have all been signed off my medical staff)
• However there is a degree of scepticism among the coaches, and a strong feeling in the changing room, that other players would have made themselves available
• Emery’s concerns about Mesut go further than just fitness. Doesn’t think that Özil works hard enough off the ball, doesn’t think Özil tracks back enough, and has accused Özil of pulling out of tackles.
• However Emery has been careful not to ostracise Özil from the group and he remains both professionl in training and a popular member in the changing room (in contrast to Sanchez before he left), although he is closest to Mustafi and Xhaka.
• Contrary to popular opinion, it was Gazidis not Wenger who forced Özil’s contract renewal. Gazidis didn’t think the club could afford to lose both Sanchez and Özil and that it was cheaper to renew Özil on a £60m contract than replace him in the transfer market.

 

[Sanchez11]

Surprised this hasn’t been posted yet. Some interesting stuff from a well-connected journalist.


Highlights for those who can’t get past paywall:

• Wenger was increasingly losing faith with Mesut in his final year here and regrets treating Özil too leniently. Had doubts about his physical fragility and people close to the former manager say he wishes that he had left Özil out more often to increase his motivation.
• Emery is frustrated about Özil’s fitness issues and wants the German to make himself available more often
• Nobody at the club has gone so far as to accuse Mesut of faking his ailments (which have all been signed off my medical staff)
• However there is a degree of scepticism among the coaches, and a strong feeling in the changing room, that other players would have made themselves available
• Emery’s concerns about Mesut go further than just fitness. Doesn’t think that Özil works hard enough off the ball, doesn’t think Özil tracks back enough, and has accused Özil of pulling out of tackles.
• However Emery has been careful not to ostracise Özil from the group and he remains both professionl in training and a popular member in the changing room (in contrast to Sanchez before he left), although he is closest to Mustafi and Xhaka.
• Contrary to popular opinion, it was Gazidis not Wenger who forced Özil’s contract renewal. Gazidis didn’t think the club could afford to lose both Sanchez and Özil and that it was cheaper to renew Özil on a £60m contract than replace him in the transfer market.

When is he leaving?

 

[squallman]

Emery’s concerns about Mesut go further than just fitness. Doesn’t think that Özil works hard enough off the ball, doesn’t think Özil tracks back enough, and has accused Özil of pulling out of tackles.

This keeps on striking me as an odd ****ing criticism.

That paragraph describes half of our first eleven. If he's leaving out Özil for not working hard off the ball or tracking back, the only person he should be starting is Lacazette and at a push Mkhi.

I could understand this if we were a well drilled defensive machine with all of our players grafting and working hard. But we aren't, so its strange to me to make an example out of Özil for something half the squad fails to do.

Emery put Kolasinac on the LW for some games in direct acknowledgement of the latter's shambolic defensive contributions and Kolasinac is supposed to be a defender for crying out loud. Yet Özil the AM gets singled out? If Emery was running an even hand and casting out players for not contributing defensively then I would think a LB who can't defend a lick would be training with the reserves by now.

 

[Sanchez11]

This keeps on striking me as an odd ****ing criticism.

That paragraph describes half of our first eleven. If he's leaving out Özil for not working hard off the ball or tracking back, the only person he should be starting is Lacazette and at a push Mkhi.

I could understand this if we were a well drilled defensive machine with all of our players grafting and working hard. But we aren't, so its strange to me to make an example out of Özil for something half the squad fails to do.

Emery put Kolasinac on the LW for some games in direct acknowledgement of the latter's shambolic defensive contributions and Kolasinac is supposed to be a defender for crying out loud. Yet Özil the AM gets singled out? If Emery was running an even hand and casting out players for not contributing defensively then I would think a LB who can't defend a lick would be training with the reserves by now.

But Kola has no winger infront to help with the press. Players in the current game need to press.

 

[GDeep™]

Surprised this hasn’t been posted yet. Some interesting stuff from a well-connected journalist.


Highlights for those who can’t get past paywall:

• Wenger was increasingly losing faith with Mesut in his final year here and regrets treating Özil too leniently. Had doubts about his physical fragility and people close to the former manager say he wishes that he had left Özil out more often to increase his motivation.
• Emery is frustrated about Özil’s fitness issues and wants the German to make himself available more often
• Nobody at the club has gone so far as to accuse Mesut of faking his ailments (which have all been signed off my medical staff)
• However there is a degree of scepticism among the coaches, and a strong feeling in the changing room, that other players would have made themselves available
• Emery’s concerns about Mesut go further than just fitness. Doesn’t think that Özil works hard enough off the ball, doesn’t think Özil tracks back enough, and has accused Özil of pulling out of tackles.
• However Emery has been careful not to ostracise Özil from the group and he remains both professionl in training and a popular member in the changing room (in contrast to Sanchez before he left), although he is closest to Mustafi and Xhaka.
• Contrary to popular opinion, it was Gazidis not Wenger who forced Özil’s contract renewal. Gazidis didn’t think the club could afford to lose both Sanchez and Özil and that it was cheaper to renew Özil on a £60m contract than replace him in the transfer market.

Stopped reading at “Wenger regrets treating him leniently”. Obviously bollocks.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

"A strong feeling in the dressing room" vs signed physician notes ffs. The coaching staff better hope this is made up.

 

[squallman]

But Kola has no winger infront to help with the press. Players in the current game need to press.

What?

It doesn't matter if you or I or a 50 year old Paul Merson is playing in front of him, Kolasinac needs to carry his own weight and defend properly.

He doesn't but yet at the same time was never dropped for it.

 

[Aevi]

"A strong feeling in the dressing room" vs signed physician notes ffs. The coaching staff better hope this is made up.

I don't think it's all that weird tbh, could be true. I don't think everything physicians sign off on must actually prevent you from playing. Sometimes **** hurts a bit but you suck it up and play through the pain.

 

[Aevi]

It's a bit frustrating seeing all the claims coming out on what's happening in the Arsenal camp. Lots is being said but it's all over the place, I can't quite tell what's true. Something isn't right though.

 

[say yes]

It's a bit frustrating seeing all the claims coming out on what's happening in the Arsenal camp. Lots is being said but it's all over the place, I can't quite tell what's true. Something isn't right though.

Has it really been that all over the place?

Might have missed things but all the stories (both positive and negative) have seemed pretty consistent to me.

Positive stuff:
- Özil is a popular player in the squad /not in anyway a troublemaker
- He has ‘technically’ been injured and this isn’t just a massive stitch up behind the scenes
- No reliable source has indicated that there is anything behind the stories of the board telling Emery to drop Özil / force him out of the club due to his wages

Negative stuff:
- There’s a frustration around the club about his fragility / immune system. While people aren’t accusing him of faking his woes, there’s a feeling he could play through the pain a bit more.
- There are questions about his motivation / a feeling he has been pandered to too much
- Emery wants him to work harder defensively

Neutral but interesting stuff:
- Gazidis forced the contract, not Wenger

 

[A_G]

Ngl when I saw Wenger say this in a recent interview I thought of Mesut:

Football has changed. Responsibilities among the club and the players has changed from 20 years ago related to performance. The player used to play for the football club and wanted to do well for the football club, when he didn’t perform he felt guilty and the club wanted to change him; today the club plays for the player and when the player doesn’t perform the club is guilty and everybody inside is questioned about why the player is not performing well. The responsibility has completely changed. The club has to do absolutely every single thing to help the player to perform, we manage millionaires…you have to convince them and when you accomplish that you get something back from them.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

I don't think it's all that weird tbh, could be true. I don't think everything physicians sign off on must actually prevent you from playing. Sometimes **** hurts a bit but you suck it up and play through the pain.

If it's true then its worse imo. No one can know how much pain someone else is in and trying to second guess them when the medical staff have confirmed injury would be very odd to me. As other have pointed out Özil has often been moving like he's carrying injury this year when played.

But I find any stories with these amorphous "senses" or "feelings" being cited as likely contrived to at least some extent. Did this guy interview the dressing room? "Tell me, room, what have you sensed from the squad when they assemble within you? What secrets do your walls hold? Let them spill forth unto me, the masses must know!"

Doubt this guy talked to anyone tbh. He certainly wouldn't need to, could write stories like this just by pursuing A-M and collecting fan hot takes off of twitter.

 

[GDeep™]

Ngl when I saw Wenger say this in a recent interview I thought of Mesut:

Don’t know why, this describes the modern player. You hear many pundits speak like this today, the game has changed.

 

[Rex Stone]

Has it really been that all over the place?

Might have missed things but all the stories (both positive and negative) have seemed pretty consistent to me.

Positive stuff:
- Özil is a popular player in the squad /not in anyway a troublemaker
- He has ‘technically’ been injured and this isn’t just a massive stitch up behind the scenes
- No reliable source has indicated that there is anything behind the stories of the board telling Emery to drop Özil / force him out of the club due to his wages

Negative stuff:
- There’s a frustration around the club about his fragility / immune system. While people aren’t accusing him of faking his woes, there’s a feeling he could play through the pain a bit more.
- There are questions about his motivation / a feeling he has been pandered to too much
- Emery wants him to work harder defensively

Neutral but interesting stuff:
- Gazidis forced the contract, not Wenger

Think the Wenger stuff is more than neutral, it’s clear he was right on this stuff but was getting overridden by Gazidis.

I’d thought for a long while he was being used as a lightning rod for criticism in his later years.

Gazidis really is a cünt.

 

[say yes]

Doubt this guy talked to anyone tbh. He certainly wouldn't need to, could write stories like this just by pursuing A-M and collecting fan hot takes off of twitter.

Ah, the classic Arsenal-mania / modern internet user’s response to a story they don’t like.

That didn’t take long.

 

[A_G]

Don’t know why, this describes the modern player.

And it applies to Özil's situation

 

[blaze_of_glory]

Ah, the classic Arsenal-mania / modern internet user’s response to a story they don’t like.

That didn’t take long.

Probably longer than it took to write that story tbh

 

[GDeep™]

And it applies to Özil's situation

Applies to the modern player, Özil is included.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

And if the story is true, then our coaching staff is ****ed. Fancy themselves both doctors and mind readers apparently. Not the first we've heard about this sort of delusion either, so maybe it is true. Just have to hope not.