Ever since Mesut Ozil’s record-breaking move to Arsenal in last summers transfer window he has been the centre of everything to do with Arsenal.

He was the big name signing fans have been craving for years, he has been integral to Arsenal’s rise to the top of the table for the majority of the season and he has been the reason why many people now believe this season could be the season Arsenal end their trophy drought.

However, in recent weeks Ozil has had to deal with something for the first time in his professional career, and that is criticism. The British media are infamous for targeting footballers and unfortunately it affects our opinions.

Many critics are now proclaiming Ozil has lost ‘it’, that he does not warrant his price tag and that he was not even that good in the first place. Well, I for one could not disagree more.

What Does Ozil Do?

Last night Ozil missed a crucial penalty. How crucial we will never know, but he should of put Arsenal 1-0 after 8 minutes. Arsenal went on to lose the first leg 2-0 and face an almost impossible task to salvage their Champions League dreams.

I noticed many people question why Ozil took the penalty in the first place. It was a perfect opportunity for the German to regain his confidence, to fire Arsenal into a deserved lead against the best team in the world that consists of many of his international teammates.

Bollocks, he missed it. He had to frickin’ miss it.

You could see how much it affected him. He was still staring at the stars for an answer 5 minutes later. Would substituting him instead of Cazorla been more beneficial? Maybe. But if making that decision were so easy we would all be Premier League managers.

Now fans are calling for Ozil to be dropped. Some say he needs a rest, some say he deserves it for being out of form, others are questioning his attitude and effort. But Ozil brings so much to the team; it is extremely disrespectful to claim a player of Ozil’s stature does not care about the team.

Would it be wise to drop him now? Wenger has a reputation for keeping faith in those players who do not repay him with improved performances. Bendtner, Denilson, Almunia, Arshavin are the names that spring to mind.

However, Ozil is different. Ozil is undoubtedly world class. Ozil is the best playmaker in the world.

Ozil is the beating heart of the team and he needs to realise that once again. There is a reason why so many Real Madrid players were disappointed with his departure.

Many considered him the second best player in the team, and that is quite an honour bearing in mind the caliber of players surrounding him. He created countless amount of goals for his teammates and is one of the reasons why Wenger was willing to part with so much money.

He looked truly sublime when he arrived at the Emirates Stadium. His performance against Napoli (some pointing out it was his last great performance in an Arsenal shirt) was inspirational.

Since that joyous October night, Ozil has supposedly not been himself. But even an off form Ozil has still contributed a number of assists.

More recently, his performance against Liverpool (no, not THAT one) was fantastic. He did not get a Man of the Match recognition, but every attacking movement went through him. He was a delight to watch.

What Next for Mesut?

With a player of Ozil’s brilliance, fans will naturally have high expectations; incredibly high expectations in fact. But I am a firm believer that when a player loves to a different country to play in a completely different league he deserves to be judged on his second season.

Take Giroud for example, he had his critics last season too, but this season he has been one of Arsenal’s most important players. Giroud has been brilliant.

I think the best thing for Ozil is to play these next few games, especially the weekend game versus Sunderland. I would like nothing less than to see Ozil pull the strings and thread the killer ball to cut open the defence and guide Arsenal to an emphatic victory.

Then again, knowing football fans, they will bring up the idea that he can’t do it in the big games. Sigh.

Conclusion

I think the fans need to calm down and keep up the incredible support for the remainder of the season. The team is one point off the top of the league and is one victory away from playing an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. Was Champions League success ever a realistic possibility? Not really.

Lets enjoy our team and back our players, because what good comes from constant negativity?

Latest:

Follow Arsenal Latest on TwitterRSS FeedFollow Arsenal Latest on facebookSubscribe by email



Follow Arsenal Latest on TwitterRSS FeedArsenal Latest news on FacebookSubscribe by email

Comments  

#14 saint 2014-02-26 23:20
ozil is the beast in the world no doubt but the fact is that his now lazy ever since he joined arsenal
#13 trugun 2014-02-24 17:26
When Dennis Bergkamp first came to Arsenal a certain Stuart Pearce said he was overrated, so, it would seem that Ozil has something else in common with the Ice Man. I have every faith in Ozil a man with his talent will not stay down for long, but so called fans getting on at him will not help matters.
#12 fredrick 2014-02-21 14:34
arsenal players should nt lose concentratn we will make itn we d fans lets support them dey need our faith i see arsenal surprisin d world lets watch
+1 #11 pop 2014-02-21 08:15
Ozil need to step up and be the man when the going gets tough. He could do that if we had a few more world class players around him but we don't because of Wenger's reluctance to spend the money. It's a false economy, success will bring the cash, just spend more and see.
+2 #10 Serge Maloba 2014-02-21 08:15
Give him class players he will give you his best.
+1 #9 Alanrad 2014-02-21 06:03
Do you see the similarity with Cazola? We know they are great players and have seen them play like that at Arsenal. But both have slipped a great deal since they started. I wonder why. If they were both playing to the initial potential they showed - we would be in a far better position. Is it a mental thing they both face within the club?

BTW - there are a number of players who have faced the same problem - Pod, Arshen, etc. I wonder why?
-2 #8 onn 2014-02-21 02:51
Ozil is a world class midfield...he need companion in the top...I always see he need go down and go up to get the ball and bring the ball to striker...do not blame people for only one penalty miss ...ozil is the best playmaker for arsenal...I respect Ozil for his hardwork together with others player in the squad for bring arsenal to top 3 in the BPL and UCL ...
#7 Gooner4life 2014-02-21 01:07
He also need to do something with his attitude cworld class players are recognized when pplaying with world class teams not middle table teams like spurs yes spurs. COYG!!
+4 #6 dcdc 2014-02-20 22:01
Good article and I agree with the thrusthrust of it. In addition, I find some fault with Wenger. Is he serious about bringing in such high quality only to have Ozil work with the mediocre set of strikers we have? No wonder we're not getting what some percieve as the best from Ozil. Too bad we are so deficient in the transfer market. Doesn't seem like there's a plan.
#5 Mary 2014-02-20 21:50
I was very disappointed with the penalty and thus the out-cone of the game but come on people Ozil has done a lot for Arsenal since his arrival and I really don't think making him the whipping boy is the way to go, if it's your team SUPPORT it which also means supporting the players manager and everyone else who works so hard for us every game! I still believe!
#4 Macgooner56 2014-02-20 21:37
Thats a very good insightful piece and well worth considering.i also am one of those who had hoped ozil would be the messiah this season even though im old enough to know better.so lets give him the time he needs to settle in and start producing the form we all know he can.
+9 #3 TC 2014-02-20 21:30
He needs something because he has been Sh!te in his last few games.
#2 tricky 2014-02-20 20:53
FORM IS TEMPORARY WHILST CLASS IS PERMANENT
-2 #1 Me 2014-02-20 20:32
A player like Ozil relies on the pace and ability of his team mates to read where he is going to place the ball. No disrespect to Giroud but he is pretty average. As a friend once said "you can't polish a turd"