As Arsenal slipped to another defeat last Sunday, the haunting questions about Arsenal’s mental strength were back on the table for discussion. Arsene Wenger, the iconic manager was also not in the most festive moods having seen his side go down twice within the space of a week in the face of aggression.
Blaming the referee, questioning their calls was the outlet that the Frenchman chose on the day. More importantly, he was furious with the callousness of some of the players on the pitch, who seemed to have their heads in the clouds since the opening goal.
But very surprisingly for a team which has had some steel this season, statistics do reveal a startling revelation. Arsenal’s defensive record shows that they have only conceded a goal less than the so-called “leaky Liverpool defence”.
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Whether it was a lack of ambition that lost them the game or the tiredness creeping into a squad which has been one of the least rotated teams this season is for medical experts and sports scientists to decide. More importantly, it was the performance of the German playmaker – Mesut Ozil, which seems to have irked the Frenchman.
As Barney Ronay of the Guardian, so aptly pointed out, it is the time of that year when we have the Ozil conversation again. While folks across the world wonder what the festive season might hold, Ozil knows exactly what he wants - a bumper contract.
But hold on, it is not about the money that seems to evoke such debate. It is more about the German’s ability to once again hold his own in a game of such monumental proportions that is a cause for concern.
Flair and determination
Arsenal this season have shown a certain resilience which has been lacking in the past few seasons. The additions of Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka over the summer brought some much-needed steel to the side which has allowed for players such as Sanchez and Ozil to do their thing.
However, for all his flair and style, the German continues to be somewhat of an enigma for the London club. Accusations of the German meandering around on the pitch are often proved wrong by statistics which indicate that the German covers more ground than his teammates.
In the Champions League itself, the German has run more than 10 km more than his team-mates this season. He has also made a healthy contribution of 9 goals and 5 assists in his 21 appearances for his club this season over a total of 1857 minutes on the pitch with an average match rating of 7.10 as per whoscored.com.
But what remains an aberration is that, in spite of such stats, there have been matches where the game has just drifted by him, making him an audience with a vantage point of view on the pitch. And that seems to be the most perturbing factor for Arsene Wenger.
Early on in his career, when asked to describe his playing style, the German responded with the following, “My technique and feel for the ball comes from my Turkish side, while the discipline, attitude and give-your-all mentality is the German in me.” Also as early as 2009, he declared himself as a game-maker.
Taking charge of the game
Over the years, Arsenal has lacked a midfielder willing to take the game by the scruff of its neck. Football has evolved over the years with teams resorting to a possession-based style of play and hence the influence of the midfielders has become more and more prominent.
In that context, Ozil’s role as a playmaker takes on more significance since the onus is on him to gather the ball and orchestrate attacks. While his quiet leadership is often appreciated on the pitch, especially when given the time and space, the German has peripheral vision to unlock stubborn defences and putting the opponent’s tactics to waste.
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Earlier this season, former Liverpool striker Michael Owen enraged Gunners fans by stating: “He (Ozil) can perform, we know he can score goals, (but) I want to see him do it in a massive game, one of the big Premier League or Champions League encounters.” At the time, Owen was commenting right after the Champions League hat-trick by the German and as expected encountered a backlash and was accused of all sorts of things.
Nevertheless, it seems Owen was right as was evident over the past few weeks; Ozil has disappeared on the pitch. Not that his running has slowed down, in fact, the German continues to cover more ground than the rest of his team-mates. However, it is his positional running that seems to deteriorate against bigger opponents that has invited criticism from all quarters.
Ozil should be the heartbeat
Forget Sanchez, Ozil should be the one who should be the heart and soul of this Arsenal side. Arsene Wenger’s vision of beautiful football has always been complimented by arrival of flair stars such as Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Cesc Fabregas (players who tried to make something happen in the midst of chaos).
While Ozil’s reading of the situation on the attacking side of it makes him an asset as he plans almost two-three moves ahead of the opposing defence, his inability to read the defensive game is what at times makes him a liability.
There have been times where opponents have just brushed of Ozil as if he was non-existent. The German has bulked up since his arrival in the Premier League but still doesn’t relish a physical battle in the same manner as in his Bundesliga days, and Wenger has tried to take the pressure off by putting him high up the pitch.
But in big games where teams are not even willing to concede an inch, the German’s failure to press in the manner of Sanchez often leads to teams bypassing the first barrier of defence with ease. Over the course of the game, this in turn, instead helps the opposing team plan a more measured and effective attack.
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In matches where Ozil has owned up his defensive responsibilities and combined that with his peripheral attacking vision, the results have been there for all to see. Ozil was emphatic against Chelsea when they beat them 3-0 earlier this season. And in order for Ozil to be more effective, he has to combine the brawn and beauty.
Dennis Bergkamp’s arrival galvanised the Arsenal side which went on to become the greatest by combining the ethics of English football with his technical brilliance. At the time Ray Parlour said of his arrival, “Dennis Bergkamp was a really big name, we couldn’t wait to see him.”
Ozil has a similar opportunity but is reluctant to grab that mantle it seems. And the sooner the German finds the balance between these two sides to his game, the better. It has been a long time since Arsenal have tasted sweet success supplemented with copious amounts of entertaining football, but with Ozil as it’s heartbeat, the Gunners have a chance to once again write a new chapter.
