Mesut Ozil has hit back at criticism of him in England and Germany, and says he’s enjoying the fact that he’s a more important player for Arsenal than he was for Real Madrid.
In Spain he was clearly a secondary figure behind the preening ego of Cristiano Ronaldo, but after his £42.5m move to the Emirates last summer has become a key man for Arsene Wenger’s side.
“My role at Arsenal is different in that I have more responsibility than I did at Real Madrid,” he told Bild. “And I like that.”
The German international was accused by one UK journalist of ‘nicking a living’ after a quiet performance away at Bayern Munich, one which was attributed afterwards to the fact that he’d pulled his hamstring in the second minute of the game.
And there have been criticisms of him in his home country, but the playmaker isn’t minded to pay much attention to it.
“I am no longer a talent but an experienced player who has played in three countries,” he continued.
“I take responsibility, I was voted Germany player of the year three times running and in the team of the year in England – always by the fans. And that is also important to me.
“I feel that I have the trust of Joachim Löw and Arsène Wenger and that I have earned it.”
Ozil is expected to start Germany’s first game of the World Cup, which will see him against Ronaldo as they take on Portugal in Salvador.
I would like to see Ozil answer his critics by performing for us consistently next season
We all believed that he will perform when he adapt to the physical demand of PL. I always believe. Especially with the presence of different type of striker (or a fit Walcot)
Give Ozil a fit Walcott and I genuinely believe Theo will be looking at 25 or so league goals. Heck, a fit Walcott and a fit Ramsey with Ozil acting as the puppet master would be absolutely lethal.
“Give Ozil a fit Walcott”
How?
I really believe Ozil will make a great impact in our season. All the best, Ozil! #COYG
Özil is going to come good i feel, its a question only of time and the fitness of other players to work off him, and the same can be said if giroud, this is another reason the acquisition of Vela would be beneficial, depth for walcott and giroud / the possibility of Martinez, i just hope we get vela and martinez/other striker not just 1 or the other and we stick to the principle of depth properly.
Really don’t understand what all the fuss was about. I could give you plenty of names who struggled in their first season in the prem and went on to be world beaters. But Mesut is not one of them! A very solid first season, showed flashes of excellence, was consistent and learned how arsenal play football. This time next year those twaty journo’s will be jizzing all over him (figuratively).
Well said, sir!
This time next year those twaty journo’s will be frothing at the lips
Fixed that for you
Özil created 76 chances in 26 league games last season. Fabregas created 56 in 36 league games.
He just needs pace and more quality in front of him and he’ll shine next season.
These numbers are even more warped in Ozil’s favour when you consider that Cesc had Messi as a target.
Bang on. If he has great players around him he’ll be fantastic. A fit Walcott and a player in a similar mould to him would help as well as a player to really compete with Giroud to keep him on his toes. With Ramsey also being a willing runner we’ll be in good shape.
Yep, only Suarez and Nasri made more “key contributions” to goals, according to Telegraph fantasy football stats. Terrible season.
Why did I have to see the word Ronaldo just now, for shame blogs.
Ps Call me crazy but I think Ozil is a good football player
We need more pacey players to get the best out if him.
Signing Remy would be a start.
But only a start, mind.
Remy is setting our sights a little low at this stage in the transfer window. I prefer to dream of Draxler, Benzema, Morata or Balotelli. If we get to the end of August and haven’t bought anyone then at that stage I’ll be begging for Remy.
Why would you possibly include Morata there? Have you ever actually seen him play?
Morata has all the ingredients to be world class. There’s a reason why Real want a buy back clause agreed when selling him on. They know that if he gets regular game time, he can fulfill his undoubted potential.
Have you ever actually seen him play????
I cannot wait till we sign a striker and this Remy thing is put to bed.
Can someone please, please, please tell me HOW a player who tops the assists charts along with Silva and Toure, all whilst creating the most chances in the league (IN HIS FIRST SEASON!!) gets criticised?! Please. I’m begging someone to explain the logic behind it.
Anti-Arsenal narrative bias. Logic optional.
He is so good and makes it look so easy that to the casual observer he looks like he’s not trying. That’s my theory anyway.
That’s my theory about Wilshere too. So often he makes the brilliant look mundane that only his mistakes get noticed.
Remember that early game against Sunderland where Özil gifted Theo with three opportunities to score in 15 minutes. That’s going to be next season. But, with the exception of Theo scoring.
Some people mistake Özil’s inherent sadness for glum, when it has all to with his self realizations about the fickle qualities of existence.
Make the film Ingmar.
Persöna.
I remember, Theo didn’t crown hiself with glory. Ozil musta been goin WTF in German o course
Not that I agree with it, but the criticism is related to his price tag. Toure cost £20M, and Silva £30M. If you take age into account and see the stupid amount some players are sold for these days I do think Ozil will justify his price tag. As a big money player most of the criticism I’ve seen is that he doesn’t step up in the big games, which you have to say Toure does.
Yes but Silva failed to make an impact in his first season. Toure, I’m not quite sure. Still, to be able to top the charts in your first season in a new league, which is way more demanding, kind of makes you question all the criticism. There isn’t much else Ozil could have done given the players he was playing with etc.
Neil Ashton is a cunt
Did he spark the criticism?
Neil Ashton just spunks up anybody who lets him. If you don’t then you get the schoolboy comments such as “nicking a living”.
Who do we think has the greater “preening ego”? – Ronaldo or the cabal of talentless journalists who conspired to portray Ozil as a waster and a cheat?
Not an easy call, is it?
After the Champions League Final where he scored a meaningless penalty then ripped his top off and flexed (pretty poorly I might add, what an awful stance to flex in) the award must go to Ronaldo.
Sod the press and what they write for their own agendas.
Expectations.
First draft of a Dickens novel?
The media love building someone up and then dragging them down i do believe at times mesut looked as if he was struggling then boom!! He’d do something that nobody on the pitch could do and we’d be watching on saying how’d he do that i think he had a good first season and his form dipped when our midfield was decimated I for one can’t wait for his second season i think he’ll be challenging for player of the year next season
N ppl don’t understand a great pass.
Seeing as we brought him in without having a preseason with us I think he slotted in remarkably well for a first season. With a (somewhat disrupted by the World Cup) preseason behind him this summer I think he’ll improve on last time.
Fuck this. In my mind he needn’t even prove himself, he’s done so already. For someone of his physical build to have a solid first season in the Premier League, whilst having our prime target men like Walcott out for the vast majority of the season… I’m glad he’s chilled. Looking forward to next year this time when he just dominated the League and we’ve won it.
Slightly off topic, but I was watching MOTD World Cup preview last night and Rio Ferdinand made my spit my tea out.. He said that Ronaldo didn’t have an ego!
To be fair to Rio, when he knew the guy you’d never have seen his Ego under Old Red Nose’s.
Mesut Ozil king of assists..
I seem to remember Özil plucking a long pass out of the air and providing an inch perfect assist after his first 10 minutes playing for Arsenal. And wasn’t he feeling ill that day? I fucking love that guy!
Pulled Germany out in the sweepstakes, thought I could take the summer off not supporting Poldi, BFG & Goalzil. Ah well
Ich bin ein Berliner!!
In German, a Berliner is a doughnut, just like a Hamburger is a cooked meat sandwich and a Frankfurter is a sausage.
I pulled portugal, going to have to swallow the bile and cheer ronnie
Also, if he quoted the berliner line i am sure he knows its a jelly donut
Argentina over here. Not too bothered, considering I have Messi, Aguero, Di Maria and Higuain play to watch.
I truly fail to understand the reason why pundits and journo’s and even some fans berated Özil last season. I thought his first season was incredibly solid, as people have pointed out in the comments his chance creation is off the charts to be honest. As a team we just weren’t clinical enough. I don’t know to truly appreciate Ozils brilliance you have to actually really watch him play, like attentively watch his movements and his slight touches here and there. Wenger said that one of Özil’s greatest strengths is that he tires out the opposition with his endless passing… Read more »
Any chance that Newsblog can figure out how to use an umlaut O? It would be nice to spell his name correctly.
The umlaut is not widely used in modern German. In place of an umlaut, an “e” is used after the vowel. So Ä becomes “ae” for example, and Ö becomes “oe”. So Oezil works well for Özil
Oe is an alternative to Ö if you cannot write the umlaut (e.g. your printer does not support it).
O is a different letter to Ö, so spelling his name Ozil is just as bad as writing Wilshire.
The exact same quotes used on Arseblog News and Sky Sports, but here is the difference in headlines (and overall tone of the post):
Arseblog: “Ozil relishing Arsenal responsibility”
Sky Sports: “Ozil demands more respect”
Sigh, the journalism on sites like Sky Sports is so. damn. annoying.
Bobby P and Th14 had quiet enough starts to.their arsenal careers. They turned out ok in the end…
Mesut will need a thick over here. Fact is the press detest us and even if we won everything possible they would dig as deep as possible to write something negative about our star players. Best of luck at the World Cup for our German contingent.
Skin^^
Absolutely believe Ozil will be even better next year. He will be more aware of the physical nature of the PL, he will be more integrated into the team (and the team with him). I also firmly believe AW will now be buying players to link up with him – quicker players who will make runs for him to find. Some of the criticism from the media and from those Arsenal fans who wanted to downplay the signing for their own anti-Wenger reasons is unwarranted. For instance, he was given a very low rating by the press for his performance… Read more »
A lot of these journalists are just a bunch of Mourinhos. They conveniently ignore the lack of winter break that he has had all his career on top of all te new league etc.
I wish all of our players “struggled” like Ozil last year.
I thought he was great for us. Let the man get use to the league a bit and know his opponents.
Didn’t Henry and Pires “struggle” in their first year?
COYG!!!
Özil reminds me of Pires in his first season, he took a while to adapt to the physical demands of the game too. Once he strengthened up and settled down he became the legendary player we all revere to this day. Don’t worry, Özil will go on to be thought of in the same legendary status one day, I’m certain of it.
Ozil was clearly having issues adapting to the physicality – if you watch his body language carefully you could see that sometimes he’d get knocked off the ball go down and actually feel as if he won a foul – only when he didn’t is when his body language went sour – it’s just instinct being in the spanish league that contact of that nature is a foul – he get’s the physicality in the EPL now – should be fine for next season another note – he’s not a player who likes to sit infront of a box and… Read more »
Özil is one of the best players in the world. His critics will be proven wrong next year, but don’t expect them to admit it. More likely is a story saying Özil has taken on board their criticism and upped his game, what a bunch of wankers. Still on the bright side a couple of choice signings and he’ll play a major part in us winning the league next year.
According to Mourinho the Fabregas situation is a done deal and he will be going to Chelsea, dis makes me feel ill to see him in a chelsea shirt and the only thing that is making me more ill is the inactivity so far from Arsene..
When he lets Fabregas go to Chelsea he better have some super players coming in, otherwise I’ll be really pissed off..
Read that last bit back to yourself and tell me you don’t realise how ridiculous it sounds?
Ridiciously it sounds? Ridiculous that it hurts to see Fabregas in a chelsea shirt? I think it pisses off most arsenal fans and if it wouldn’t, you are not really an arsenal fan..
Everyone will be pissed off now if wenger doesn’t buy the right players.
It does sound ridiculous! “I’m going to be really pissed off if Wenger doesn’t sign the players I want him to”. Please, get over yourself.
Sorry I don’t share your reversed passion for arsenal, I enjoy success for the club not failure.
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/agreement-with-chelsea-for-the-transfer-of-cesc-fabregas
And there he just signed for chelsea.. 🙁
Yes the BBC also have this as breaking news.
So fucking sad in so many ways. Not just that he’s joined a bunch of Surrey loud mother tossers but also that they seem to be able to do business before, during and after the World cup.
“They have an amazing squad of players and an incredible manager, but their fans are two bob arseholes” he added. “I am fully committed to this team and I can’t wait to start playing.”
nothing wrong with surrey old chap. not all chelski tosspots down here you know!
Yes sorry I take that back, Surrey is a marvelous county.
He can compete with Eden Hazard for most disappointed and misused midfielder in the PL
Lets not beat about the bush here – Mourinho is a cunt, signs cunts and therefore Cesc is a Cunt.
He won fuck all at arsenal.
He left thinking he was thierry henry.
I think that come sept 1 there will plenty of arsenal fans wishing we had got rid of wenger, expect another summer of transfer incompetence.
Fabregas would make us stronger and is better than several of our midfielders, i expect chelsea to dominate the league. FFP does not matter because they pumped the club full of money long ago, sellling Mata and Luiz for 90 million means they can spend big on good players. While arsenal dithers.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK
Wenger must have something huge up his sleeves right? Right? Please tell me it is so…
Who knows with Wenger but if he hasn’t we are going to be even further behind
Wenger just strengthen Chelsea to such an amount that they will be a top competitor next season all thanks to Wenger. He’s made himself look stupid by letting his old Captain and an arsenal legend go there when he could have gotten him back for about £15m, since they still owe us £12m?
Lé Professeur strikes again..
Fun thing is we’ll most likely end up with the unexpected, and not to the positive. Remember the Källström signing?
I don’t think we do have anything huge, Cesc Fabregas could have been the signing of the year instead we’re making Chelsea to a top challenger next season. Fairplay to Chelsea, sad day to all of us gooners, don’t expect big signings from wenger, he’s lost it..
He wont strenghten chelsea – mourinho will have him tackling and filling space and parking buses and doing a counter attack job that is no better than the Hazard, lead one they had last year..
Unless Mourihno discovered how to build a team to play football rather than break down opponents..
They ran us over without parking a bike
Mourinho just repeated what Rodgers did.
He’s good at what he does but that is cunting.
Fucking disgusted that we have allowed this to happen. We are not talking an average Joe here this is the top top quality we keep saying we are the look out for but are never available
It’s official.
Cesc and Maureen are together the next season. My heart is bleeding. It hurts more than his departure some years ago…Massive cunt…
Not really his fault that arsenal didn’t want to sign him is it? Blame Wenger not Cesc.. Certainly it’s always easy to call the player a cunt but to be fair it’s wenger you all should be angry on.
A nightmare scenario. Really heartbreaking.
Lets just hope that we get the players in that we need this transfer window, without all the dithering and incompetence of the last few years, otherwise I can really see next season being yet another fight for forth spot and for me at least that is no longer acceptable.
P.S I was looking forward to watching the world cup. Now I’m not so sure I want anything to do with football at the moment.
I think at this stage we can stop calling Fabregas a ‘legend’ or even a ‘gooner’. He is repulsive, he says he considered all the offers he had long and hard. Why blame Wenger for Cesc forcing through a transfer to Barcelona and screw us over desperately signing replacements on deadline day and then sign for Mourinho. He quite clearly doesn’t have any care at all for Arsenal, yes he did okay when we had him. So did RVP so did Nasri so did Ashley Cole. Just because Cesc took the long route makes him no less nauseating in my… Read more »
There are no excuses anymore, in my opinion. The stadium-argument has been my foremost way of explaining Arsenal’s recent years. Not anymore. I expect players coming in, otherwise Fabregas going to Chelsea is a farce. I think, I’ve mentioned for quite some time that I’m a staunch supporter of Wenger, yet if there no investments made before the season starts and preferably right after the World Cup, for the first time I will have no reason to defend him. Not necessarily Wenger Out, but it doesn’t take much to understand that our season has been derailed for reasons that can… Read more »
I would rather see the money spent in a more effective way. Given the choice of having him back or beating a Chelsea team with him in it, I’ll take the latter. I have complete faith in Wenger to buy the right players this windows and I don’t Fabregas was one of them.
Meant to say wasn’t one of them, obviously.
What’s wrong with getting Remy and Vella to link up with Oli and chuck in Theo and Poldi and we start to have a rotational strike force. If a “top” striker comes in as well, so much the better. I also think Caulker would be a great addition (if only ‘cos it would piss those WHL tossers off no end). After that we probably still have 50 million left to get in a ‘keeper, and someone like Draxler and a Right Back. Still might have a bit left over for January in case the squad need tweaking.
Özil will have a stronger season because he has had a year of the Premier League now, and he will take part in vital pre-season preparations. He is a footballing genius.
I think it’s about time mesut rebranded to M11. He no longer wears the 10 for club or country. Fix our broken hearts from cesc and show the world why we don’t need him next season.
Any chance Wilshere thinking about changing his name to Wilshire aka Jack the Hobbit his fellowship with Ramsey, Oezil, and Cazorla will only get better next year as we win two trophies!