Mesut Özil: 2019/20 Performances

[goonerfamily]

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.

 

[Fewtch]

Giroud really gifted this guy a career man wow!
Turkish Azpilicueta at 10!

 

[Furious]

Giroud really gifted this guy a career man wow!
Turkish Azpilicueta at 10!

Best creator of this decade confirmed.

David Silva...:rofl:

Suarez though, what a player.

 

[Jury]

Giroud really gifted this guy a career man wow!

No,CRonaldo did. Take him away from him, and he's nowhere near the player some think he is. Look at what the others had to work with, namely Cesc.

 

[Trilly]

Mesut’s best season at the club, by miles, came when he was bouncing balls off that donkey’s head into the goal.

I actually think it's because Cazorla was finding him regularly as that was the one season we had something resembling a functional midfield.

Didn't Giroud's goal drought coincide with Cazorla getting injured? I think Özil's service dried up which subsequently dried up service to Le Donkey. That's my theory anyway.

 

[Trilly]

No,CRonaldo did. Take him away from him, and he's nowhere near the player some think he is. Look at what the others had to work with, namely Cesc.

Give it a rest lad.

 

[say yes]

I actually think it's because Cazorla was finding him regularly as that was the one season we had something resembling a functional midfield.

Didn't Giroud's goal drought coincide with Cazorla getting injured? I think Özil's service dried up which subsequently dried up service to Le Donkey. That's my theory anyway.

I don’t buy this argument about Donkey’s service drying up. He stopped scoring because he was a useless sack of **** footballer. Özil was elite that season.

 

[A_G]

Didn't Giroud's goal drought coincide with Cazorla getting injured? I think Özil's service dried up which subsequently dried up service to Le Donkey. That's my theory anyway.

Cazorla got injured at the end of November, and Giroud's goal drought was from Boxing Day until the second week of May. I agree though that Cazorla's injury effected Özil, that Ramsey/Coquelin midfield just didn't work.

 

[Furious]

I actually think it's because Cazorla was finding him regularly as that was the one season we had something resembling a functional midfield.

Didn't Giroud's goal drought coincide with Cazorla getting injured? I think Özil's service dried up which subsequently dried up service to Le Donkey. That's my theory anyway.

Both Özil and the Donkey kept assisting/scoring until around January.

Cazorla's injury was either oct/nov.

But yeah, it had a say I think, Özil afterwards was surrounded by Coquelin, Ramsey, Campbell and Giroud. Miraculous that he even wanted to step on the same pitch as that filth, 4 super donkeys.

 

[Mark Tobias]

I actually think it's because Cazorla was finding him regularly as that was the one season we had something resembling a functional midfield.

Didn't Giroud's goal drought coincide with Cazorla getting injured? I think Özil's service dried up which subsequently dried up service to Le Donkey. That's my theory anyway.

A theory I'm in support of. We were decidedly unlucky that season with injuries

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Özil got 2 assists vs City without Cazorla, he got the assist in the NLD after Cazorla went off feeling and he got the match-winning assist vs Leicester without Cazorla too. So I'm not sure if Cazorla was the reason Özil was getting so many assists.

I do think however, having Ramsey-Coquelin or the alternative being Elneny with Giroud up front, Walcott, Campbell vying for the wide positions was never gonna help Özil or Alexis for that matter.

I do think have two playmakers on the pitch does make it harder for the opposition, it's a bit easier when you know if you stop Özil you stop most of Arsenals attacking capabilities as the team just doesn't function like it should. With Cazorla he's effectively another number 10 just playing deeper so opposition can't just focus on Özil because it'll free up space for Cazorla. Even then I think having all 4 of Özil, Alexis, Cazorla and Ramsey on the pitch at the same time made it so difficult for opposition because you have 4 extremely talented footballers all dangerous when given time and space playing in the way Wenger wants which is constant movement and quick passing to create spaces to exploit the opposition. Now imagine if we had Aubameyang back then and top holding midfielder too. We'd have been unstoppable.

 

[A_G]

A theory I'm in support of. We were decidedly unlucky that season with injuries

Not really unlucky, it was poor planning. Welbeck was injured in April 2015 so the club knew they couldn't count on him going into the season, while we already knew that Arteta/Flamini were past it and so wouldn't be adequate cover for Cazorla. Throw in a couple of unsurprising pre-season injuries to Wilshere and Rosicky and it's no shock that the season unfolded the way it did.

 

[Trilly]

Lots of top quality posting in here. Tears in my eyes.

Expecting Jury/Rich/Hydro to come in with some BS and ruin it.

 

[TakeChillPill]

The amount of excuses I hear for Özil fathoms belief! He is quite literally the only 'world class' play maker I've come across who requires the perfect set up to operate. It's ridiculous.

A world clas player shines no matter what environment. They raise the teams quality. It's not like arsenal have been a completely trash team. Giroud destroyed us singal handedly in the EL final.

Özil has world world class moments, a world class touch and decision making. However during his time at arsenal he's never been world class. As a playmaker I've rarely seen him shine against the top teams.

Unlike Santi, Sanchez, RvP, Arshavin (single handedly got us to forth, it lasted for about a year), Cesc etc. all I can say were world class and carried the team, no matter how bad the team might have been.

 

[Jury]

I don’t buy this argument about Donkey’s service drying up. He stopped scoring because he was a useless sack of **** footballer. Özil was elite that season.

I was never his biggest fan either— more in the camp that thought he got a rough time—but he was getting nothing from our ‘creators’ during that period. He was never as bad as people made out. Did well for us considering we were never the right fit. Anyway, old news now.

 

[Jury]

Give it a rest lad.

That’s what your gyal suggested.

 

[Trilly]

That’s what your gyal suggested.

I knew it was gonna be some crud in reply.

 

[avalonhse]

A world clas player shines no matter what environment. They raise the teams quality. It's not like arsenal have been a completely trash team. Giroud destroyed us singal handedly in the EL final.

all I can say were world class and carried the team, no matter how bad the team might have been.

According to this, i believe messi and arguero are fake "world class", spending more than a decade and won nothing for Argentina, not even one Copa America.

Yeah they only shine in world class teams like MC and Barca. Personally i think argentina is even better than arsenal that season ( di maria, higuain, messi, aguero vs giroud, walcott and their companies)

 

[TakeChillPill]

According to this, i believe messi and arguero are fake "world class", spending more than a decade and won nothing for Argentina, not even one Copa America.

Yeah they only shine in world class teams like MC and Barca. Personally i think argentina is even better than arsenal that season ( di maria, higuain, messi, aguero vs giroud, walcott and their companies)

I think comparing an international team to a club team are very different. Lack of playing training time together/also the balance of the team is key, we saw in 2006 with brazil having ronaldo, ronaldinho, kaka, robinhio. adriano didn't play well thogether. Same could be argued said for Argentina.

It can also be argued that Argentina despite not winning any international trophies got to 2 copa america finals and 1 world cup finals. It's a pretty good achievement ( a bit like the netherlands, or belgium getting to a world cup final and 3rd place respectively).

I would say the Arsenal team, despite having weaknesses particularly in central midfield with santi's injuries was pretty well balanced. Özil is played in his ideal position. We should've won the title in 2016.

 

[Trilly]

I think comparing an international team to a club team are very different. Lack of playing training time together/also the balance of the team is key, we saw in 2006 with brazil having ronaldo, ronaldinho, kaka, robinhio. adriano didn't play well thogether. Same could be argued said for Argentina.

It can also be argued that Argentina despite not winning any international trophies got to 2 copa america finals and 1 world cup finals. It's a pretty good achievement ( a bit like the netherlands, or belgium getting to a world cup final and 3rd place respectively).

I would say the Arsenal team, despite having weaknesses particularly in central midfield with santi's injuries was pretty well balanced. Özil is played in his ideal position. We should've won the title in 2016.

But a world class player shines no matter what the environment? Right?