In the case of the ongoing exclusion and isolation of Mesut Ozil at Arsenal over the last 18 months, the majority of the text I’ve written in the past still applies. This has been an example of how not to handle a situation of this nature, with lessons for both parties to learn, but that will be long after both have parted company.
Mesut Ozil has constantly acted outside the club remit and continued to use his skills sparingly in an Arsenal shirt. The club has acted in the most shoddy manner possible, seemingly treating the player like an unwanted commodity.
Mesut Ozil Analogy:
The German playmaker is the gift at Christmas that sparked the imagination, one which everybody wanted but it lost its appeal and become something that everyone wanted to get rid of by Boxing Day. The type of gift you can’t give away because there’s no real demand for something that only occasionally lives up to its billing.
At the end of the day, Mesut Ozil’s career is in its final stages, and regardless of the wage he commands, a player should want to play even if he feels his principals have been compromised. Principals are all well and good, but they won’t win silverware or command the interest of the supporters.
Some supporters are still loyal to Mesut Ozil, demanding he play and that Arsenal had a genuine need for his inconsistent talent. Yet, with every win, every trophy, and every half-decent performance, Ozil is needed less and less. With the arrival of Thomas Partey, Ozil looks unlikely to ever wear the coveted number ten shirt again and most bookies globally like en.crazyvegas.com would have had their bets on Ozil departing before the season began however, that hasn’t been the case.
Arsenal are said to be in discussion with the player who has suffered the ignominy of being excluded from the Europa League and Premier League squad to resolve the situation, but it’s unclear if a solution has been found. If I were Ozil, that exclusion would have been the final straw and I would have instigated discussions straight after learning of the news.
The playmaker is 32 years of age and with his stock plummeting, he needs to break away NOW! There are no winners in this situation, Ozil won’t be moving to a bigger or more prestigious club or earning what he currently gets paid.
With every passing day, the choice of clubs for his next move becomes more limited. Mesut Ozil is a faded force that will occasionally be mentioned in conversations for the amazing goal in 2016 against Ludogorets or for his fruitful partnership with that other Arsenal pariah Alexis Sanchez.
Of course, everyone has a different perspective on the midfielder and how to solve the riddle he has become. Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger confided to Der Spiegel (via Metro):
“He (Özil) wasn’t exactly the one with the greatest discipline on the pitch. And his game against the ball wasn’t his forte.”
“But you can deal with that if you put some more defensively thinking players at his side. The main thing is the balance between attack and defence is right”
“It is no coincidence that (players like Ozil) seem so calm on the ball. They take in more information than others and therefore play deliberately.”
READ MORE:
Wise words, but unfortunately for Wenger, the evidence suggests that the German went missing fairly frequently on his watch. The promise of something special was often replaced by mediocrity, with Ozil often depicted as someone whose passion failed to match his price tag.
It’s true, the German is/was capable of producing the spectacular but on other occasions, he was what a friend of mine deemed “bang average.” Ozil will always divide opinion, even after he’s gone to pastures new, probably the MLS, or to anyone that will willingly take him!
