We get regularly slated by Arsenal fans when we criticise Mesut Ozil.
It seems that pretty much every player is fair game for scrutiny apart from Ozil, who many of you still think is the playmaker who can make Arsenal great.
But we believe that he represents everything that is wrong with Arsenal. He is almost the living embodiment of Arsene Wenger’s regime.
Like Arsenal, Ozil gets you excited and optimistic by playing brilliantly against the minnows.
Like Arsenal, Ozil is technically gifted and loves to attack.
But, just like Arsenal, Ozil completely goes missing whenever it really matters. We used to theorise that he is anonymous against the big boys but Olympiakos can’t exactly be described as one of those.
Just like Arsenal, Ozil has guile but no grit. Whenever the backs are against the wall, he is the last player that you would expect to dig you out of the hole by fighting for a result.
He’s a good footballer but nowhere near a complete one. He doesn’t realise that the best teams defend from the front and that even a number 10 has to do the defensive work sometimes.
Ozil could succeed at Arsenal if the defence was more solid.
But don’t hold your breath for a match-winning performance from the German against a top team because we haven’t seen one yet from Ozil, who was absolutely awful for Arsenal on Tuesday.
£40m? We wouldn’t pay £4m for him based on that performance. He’s a fairweather player who goes missing whenever the going gets tough.
In this respect, he represents the exact problem at Arsenal. They are nice to watch at times, but too soft to win serious silverware.
Arsenal fans: losing patience with Ozil?
