Why Ozil wasn’t as bad against Manchester United as you may think

It’s funny how a manager’s entire transfer policy can be turned on its head when a truly gifted player becomes available. We saw it two seasons ago as Sir Alex Ferguson, who’d began investing in youth as a response to City’s billions, suddenly decided he could pay £24 million for the 29-year-old Robin van Persie.

The biggest shock when it comes to recent transfers however was without a doubt Arsene Wenger’s decision to part with over £40 million for a single player, the same Arsenal who despite being willing to pay hefty sums for players were never in the ‘record fee’ crowd. Fans of rival clubs laughed at Arsenal for splashing out on Mesut Ozil, not because they didn’t think he was a top quality player, but more because they were trying to hide their collective jealousy.

Wenger pulled off something of a masterstroke bagging one of the world’s most sought-after players, while the Gunners were enjoying a solid start to the season. Mesut Ozil was expected to catapult Arsenal to the title and when that began to look somewhat uncertain a backlash of sorts began.

Wednesday night’s clash against United is indicative of the sort of performance Ozil gives and just how it can be misunderstood as being below-par or that other anger-inducing, erroneous label ‘not good enough for the money they paid’.

Ozil may have struggled to unlock a well organised United side, that like Arsenal, were obviously determined not to lose the game rather than doing everything they could to win it, but he did put in a performance that’s worthy of praise. Passing wise, the German was much better than any of his opponents with the sort of accuracy not one of United’s players could muster as in a tight game he kept possession well.

When it came to effort, again you couldn’t really fault the former Real Madrid man as he covered almost every inch of his opponents half, looking to find an opening and give his team-mates an option. His Heat Map illustrates how he was involved in the action, in possession, in almost the entirety of the two attacking thirds.

One of the biggest criticisms both sides faced was that neither of them really ‘went for it’ and at times seemed satisfied with a point that could be deemed ‘respectable.’ It would be harsh to say that Ozil didn’t at least try and make things happen as he attempted to take on his opponents on several occasions, with mixed results- but he gave it a go, when some around him looked for the easier option.

In a game to largely forget, Ozil gave one of the less forgettable performances- although it can hardly be called memorable. Like much of his season, it featured many good points that will probably be overlooked by those more interested in blaming him for what didn’t go right.