20 Dec 2018 14:13:39
Ed001 I'd be really interested on your take on mesut ozil. I think in a team with our energy and intelligent movement he could be really special. I know he offers very little going the other way, but he's one of the few who's awareness, touch, balance and weight of pass cover for his deficiencies. Fanciful idea, wages, age, and selling to a perceived rival make it unlikely but just wanted to gauge opinion. Merry xmas all and thanks for all your hard work eds.

{Ed001's Note - actually Ozil does a lot of work defensively but commentators always ignore it, give the credit to someone else or make some snide comment about being shocked to make it seem like he never does anything! I remember one game when Bellerin got caught up field and Ozil chased back 60 yards into the right back position, won the ball back, played a quick pass, raced back up 50 yards and received the ball back and the commentator was busy praising a totally different player for doing it.

Ozil is one of the best players in the game, he has a sublime touch, is wonderfully creative and is not half as lazy as people make out. In fact his distance covered since joining Arsenal is the highest in the team. He was covering more yards than Sanchez when they played together, yet Sanchez was praised for his hard work while Ozil was criticised for not doing anything! I think he could be sensational in the role Shaqiri has been doing for us.

Never going to happen, his wages are ridiculous but he is quality.}

1.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 14:44:52
Agreed Ed, super super player!

{Ed001's Note - I don't understand why he gets so much bad press.}

2.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 15:51:26
That's shocking to read, Ed001. " his distance covered since joining Arsenal is the highest in the team". I've noticed some of his defensive work, but you are so right about the media which has basically written him off as a lazy player with a giant inflated ego. To listen to commentators at times, it seems like he is camped out in only one area of the field and just basically sprays in a few passes per game, hoping for an assist or a shot on goal.

{Ed001's Note - they are biased against him and constantly denigrate him. I don't know why him, maybe it is because he always looks lethargic or his eyes, but he never gets any credit for his exceptional movement. There is a damn good reason why he is always able to get on the ball and play others in, his movement is really good.}

3.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 16:44:46
He should move back to Madrid, he was sold a dream at Arsenal and they have wasted him. Better move to Madrid or Bayern before its too late to a country where the football ‘experts’ are less pig-headed.

4.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 17:23:28
Reminds me of Hendo, not the same player of course but the work they do yet get no bloody credit for it! I really like Ozil, top player.

5.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 16:14:51
Any reason why my comment wasn't posted Ed's? I don't think it was insulting or offensive?

{Ed001's Note - I have no idea mate, I didn't edit it.}

6.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 18:00:32
Maybe because he appears lazy (and in my opinion is) , goes missing when the heat is on and is the classic luxury player, great when your cruising awful when you need to dig in with all hands to the pump, which is why klopp wouldn't touch him with a barge pole.

7.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 18:20:32
People said that about Shaqiri Waro.

8.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 18:36:19
Shows how much you've watched him Waro, obviously not a lot mate because if you had properly you'd know full well what you describe is the opposite of him.

9.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 18:59:19
what's the reason he can't get in the Arsenal squad then?

{Ed001's Note - because Emery is annoyed at him for getting injured playing video games for too many hours in a row. Not sure how that is relevant, Coutinho was struggling before we bought him and now is struggling to get in the Barca team too, but that doesn't mean he is crap.}

10.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 19:18:02
Waro, you saying Ozil is lazy is you drinking the media Koolaid that Ed01 just talked about. I suggest you watch him with your eyes open before judging him. I used to do that too with players like Skrtel and Van Dyke until Ed01 started talking about things they saw in their game that the pundits don't see. Then, I started paying attention to them whenever I watched them and found that VVD's flaws (which he is clearing up slowly but surely) were there to see if anyone actually bothered to look and that Skrtel was a POOR defender who would not make it with Klopp and low and behold, he was gone ASAP.

11.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 19:23:15
I don't rate Ozil. I'm glad we have the Ox and not Mezut.

12.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 20:18:38
Maybe it's his body language when things aren't going right? Or a completely different reason (race)? Either way, it's wrong, biased and unfair on him, even gets the blame when he doesn't play. The picture with Erdogan was taken out of context (for me), followed up by the German's obvious and racist behaviour to oust him out of the national team. Either way, i don't think he should care, long as he's happy with himself.

13.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 20:20:48
Would you want him playing for us davedee? I certainly wouldn't, also it was a limited number of times but when I saw shaqiri he was always industrious and tried to get on the ball and make things happen, so I think that comparison is a little unfair.

14.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 20:42:10
Agreed scholes.

15.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 21:18:01
Waro, I would take Ozil all day long. Ozil is one of those players like Iniesta or Firmino who makes playing football at the highest level look easy. I ain't buying the whole fake anti-Ozil media propaganda. Some people in England and Arsenal want him gone and and throwing all types of shade on one of the most naturally gifted footballers on the planet right now. Also, if people think there aren't Germans who hate the fact that a man of color (Ozil ain't white) is playing for Germany or that there aren't any Turkish people out there who think Ozil "sold out" on them to play for Germany then they are clueless about how the salient horrors of our society affects football.

16.) 20 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 23:14:35
Why does my assessment of him "show how much I've watched him" Salah? That's a little patronising to be honest. I've watched ozil more than enough times to form the opinion that he hides in big games, his work ethic is poor and his team ethic ditto. I feel he plays for himself and when there's space for him to operate in he will beat you, because there's no doubting he has fantastic ability, which is why he was so successful in Spain, playing with the best and playing in space against average opposition most of the time, he gets here and for me he's been average to the point now that if the rumours are true arsenal want rid, and you won't see a team from the prem go near him, there's a reason for that.

17.) 21 Dec 2018
20 Dec 2018 19:32:18
Spot on with your appraisal of Ozil. I remember when Ozil was begging to join Utd reportedly and Moyes said he was not needed. Who did Moyes sign? Marouane Fellaini. Yeah, what a football genius!

Now back to the debate. Ed is correct about Ozil. Go watch the Arsenal game where Ozil was all over the pitch tracking back and covering some hard yards. Who got most of the credit? Torreira and Xhaka (awful player) . Look, The media pundit class will bring down who they want to bring down and will prop up who they want and it does not matter whatever the weather. They do the very same thing to Lovren. Lovren can have a blinder of a game BUT they will focus on that one or two times (in 90 mins of action) where he may have hesitated to dive in or take control of a situation and they will dwell on that during their assessment. Whereas VVD could do the very same thing and they will just brush it to the side. If anyone thinks the media does not have an agenda against certain individual players (like Ozil) then they are fooling themselves. They are trying to run Ozil out of town and the Arsenal fans are eating this crap up.

18.) 21 Dec 2018
21 Dec 2018 09:59:24
First time poster.

Interesting debate and I am. It going to get into one about Ozil’s qualities because he is undoubtedly talented.

My only observation is that this is very much a team sport and I saw a few columns providing some stats when Emery left the lad out.

The stats seemed to present a support to the manager by claiming twice as many goals scored and better points tallies, and so I checked it - seems it wasn’t just paper talk but true.

All points to him not being an effective team player for this team though we no he has been for Germany.

There are all sorts of elements that make a player right, and effective, for one side but not another but seems where he is now is drawing little praise because he maybe is not right for arsenal?

19.) 21 Dec 2018
21 Dec 2018 10:11:28
Why? What has ozil done to anyone to warrant this so called media propaganda against him to get him out of arsenal? I don't buy newspapers I'm not on any form of social media and if I do watch games live on t.v. then I switch over when the so called experts give there opinion on the game that's on, so who is it that I'm listening to?

Any opinion I've formed of ozil is MY Opinion based on seeing him live and on t.v. I'd say it's all of you on here who are listening or reading other people's comments and forming your opinion based on someone else's information, form your own opinions based on what you've seen.

What has moyes buying fellaini got to do with ozil's abilities? Oh and nobody has an agenda against lovren either, he's a poor player it's as simple as that, if he played for united you'd all laugh your heads off if fans on there site said how good he was, it's really embarrassing to be honest.

20.) 21 Dec 2018
21 Dec 2018 11:29:20
How effective a player has been in a particular team is borne out in results of the team I think that is a fact.

Without Ozil “Arsenal” have been less effective - stats show! With him more effective.

Without Ozil “Germany” has been more effective, less effective without - also per stats.

Some players qualities suit some teams better and it is ultimately a team game.

I’m my case I judge on that - if I were an Arsenal fan with the current squad I’d not utilise him but that is not to say I do not rate him and do not think he would add value to other squads!

He has evident world class qualities just need to be matched to suitable team.

I repeat it is a team game.

Individually our players qualities to n my view can be bettered one on one by a number of top squads in the prem but as a team (including the manager) we are currently the best!

21.) 22 Dec 2018
22 Dec 2018 02:32:55
I don’t know why VVD is being brought into it and all his so-called flaws are being dug up. The lad has been outstanding for us and I couldn’t care less how he was playing for Saints.

As for Ozil, no less a player than Cristiano Ronaldo labelled him a great player and was gutted when he was sold by Madrid.
I think he’s a class player but I’m not sure he suits the premier league and definitely don’t think he suits Klopp’s team. 👍.

{Ed001's Note - I don't get why someone is bringing stats into it, they clearly do not understand how to use them. How can you say Arsenal are better without him without knowing which games he missed out on and which he played? Was he playing in all the big games but missing out against the bottom clubs and so the stats unfairly skew it? As for the Germany stats, that is an outright lie. They won the World Cup with him in the team, how on earth can they have performed better without him?

Ozil creates more chances than anyone else in European football, if they are not getting put away, that is not down to him, that is down to the players he is handing the chances to on a plate.}

22.) 22 Dec 2018
22 Dec 2018 09:25:40
DdI you reply to my post there ed? Just checking as I’m a bit confused there.

{Ed001's Note - I was more agreeing with you saying about bringing things into it, the reply was more actually aimed at Heappraise. I was just taking what you said further and saying how people will bring anything into an argument if they can twist it to suit their story.}

23.) 22 Dec 2018
22 Dec 2018 11:31:44
If you bring stats into such a nuanced conversation and debate like this one, then you open yourself up to the type of indignation Ed01 just posted.

I brought up VVD and his flaws to the debate to show how pundits can big up a player they want to big up and bring down a player they want to bring down. They use stats to big up certain players and twist other stats to bring down another. They are doing the same thing with Ozil now. That was the point I was trying to make and I thought it was understood but I guess it wasn't.

{Ed025's Note - i got it mate..