Germany’s assistant coach has come to the defence of Mesut Ozil who has been criticised for his World Cup performances.
It seems that the Arsenal man is fair game because he’s not as emotive as some and doesn’t just ‘run araaaaaand a bit’ like others, but Hansi Flick played down suggestions the tournament in Brazil had passed the former Real Madrid man by.
“We see that differently than you do,” he said. “Mesut is playing a different position now than he used to and he’s got a different assignment now. He’s got very strong skills with the ball and on top of that he’s improved during the course of the tournament.
“We’re very satisfied with Mesut. He brings a lot of confidence with the ball into our game and is always ready for a pass.
“You’ve got to remember that he was injured at Arsenal and he wasn’t able to get quite back to the level that he has played at,. But we’re satisfied and if the coaches are satisfied, that’s the important thing.”
It’s worth pointing out that Ozil has created 13 chances and made 13 key passes, which compares with the other creative players at the World Cup. And if his goalscoring lags behind the other two, that’s not really as important to Germany as Neymar and Rodriguez are to their countries.
Indeed, it seems like criticism Ozil is just one of those things that people do these days. There’s no doubt that he can play better, and Arsenal fans will be hoping to see a more settled Ozil do that in 2014-15, but it seems like judgements are being made due to his demeanour rather than what he actually does on the pitch.
Bang on. I tend to have daily arguments with people about this. Mesut’s genius with us has been in his understatement once the wingers were all crocked.
People who say he coasts through games clearly only watch highlights. Absolute key player, now and for the future. Just imagine him in the middle with Sanchez and Walcott on the wings. Just imagine.
Very good point. As soon as we lost Mesut we crumbled. We couldn’t hold the ball, couldn’t string 5+ passes together, and the goals dried up. He has already become an integral component in the Arsenal team. As regards to the WC, his stats are up there with the best #10’s. He has been asked to do a lot of tracking back in a wide role, something which is very hard. I couldn’t cope at LW after I switched from LB and I have a lot of stamina. I think he will appreciate the #10 role at Arsenal even more… Read more »
Yeah, he has been impressive with the stats for sure. I would hazard a guess that had Reus been available Özil would have clocked up quite a few assists more. I think its absolutely right to make the point that he adds alot beyond assists and creating chances. The way he pulls people around and creating space for Ramsay et al to penetrate is brilliant – and he finds himself in places for the occasional tap in too. To be honest though, he did set a high bar against Napoli so maybe people expected more of that. Same with Jack… Read more »
Do you hate your job …..Blame Ozil
Are you gonna be a knob …..Blame Ozil
Has the wife left you??? …..Blame Ozil
Does life hate you??? …..Blame Ozil
Just …..Blame Ozil, …..Blame Ozil, …..Blame Ozil
could there be a song in there???
No. No there couldn’t.
I still blame Gibbs
Agreed. Is it me or the press overall hate the arsenal?
He’s been decent, dunno why he’s such a target. He’ll be up and about, and firing for the Gunners come the new season. A few happy snaps with Poldi and he’ll be rearing to go!
Never been a flop. just adjusting to premier league. Let him and Poldi and BFG lift the WC and we hear those ‘Arsenal flop’ stories. Piss off bitches!!!!!
Easy target for pundits who have no In depth knowledge of football and are just being lazy by commenting on the superficial, at a glance stuff.
This is getting ridiculous. I think he is being held to ridiculous standards. As your passing stats show. He is a fantastic team player, who makes people around him better. But he is being judged like he was expected to be Maradona 1986.
I do worry about the constant, inane criticism getting to him though. It sometimes seems like he picks the unnecessarily difficult but spectacular option. Might be an attempt to prove people wrong.
“Indeed, it seems like criticism Ozil is just one
of those things that people do these days.
There’s no doubt that he can play better, and
Arsenal fans will be hoping to see a more
settled Ozil do that in 2014-15, but it seems
like judgements are being made due to his
demeanour rather than what he actually does on the pitch.” ENOUGH SAID!!!!!
Is it his look ? The way he runs ? I don’t get it? I remember watching the Alegeria vs Germany match and thinking this is his best performance in years! went to whoscored.com and it agreed with me ,went to twatter everyone is saying he played badly . I know numbers don’t tell the whole story ,but they fucking tell an actual truth than a ‘Ozil is lazy’ tweet by for instance showing ground covered. And I couldn’t careless about his ‘body language’ if hes is as creative and productive as he is. I remember Gervinho had the best… Read more »
Apart from disbelief and hysterical laughter.
and tears
The guy is the most efficient #10 in world football. It is unbelievable how the BBC and ITV choose to criticize him knowing how he converts based on his demeanour. It says more about the standard of punditry we have to sit through really.
BBc Pundits with their crappy analysis,. I presume this transfer season, they have their sights on John terry.
If you saw the Algeria match in the USA you were treated to 120 minutes of Stewart Robson relentlessly criticizing Ozil and pretty much identifying him as the cause of all of Germany’s problems. And when I say it was 120 minutes, I do mean that he didn’t even stop after his goal. Like, when the replays of Ozil scoring were being broadcast, he was going on and on about how terrible he’d been.
Turn down the sound. Then Stewart is just an unpleasant mouthy memory.
One wonders where this is going to end. “Our record signing didn’t set the ball on fire using only a toothbrush and his bootlace while fending off two opponents? Nicking a living! Wenger Out! Rodgers In!”
Actually glad Twitter wasn’t around when Henry and Pires signed.
I actually wish twitter was around when Henry and Pires signed. Oh it would have been fun watching the ney-sayers eat their bleating-like-sheep-words, just as they will be doing come the end of next season regarding Mesut.
Does it make you feel good? I don’t feel anything when Twitter started praising Ramsey when the same time last year they were swearing at him and at Arsene for starting him.
You only have to compare and contrast how pundits, commentators talk about him with how they talk about Neymar to realise these are people who go into each match with preconceived notions about a player and are damned if they are gonna let what actually happens in a match dissuade them. Ozil had a very steady match against France. Not outstanding, but by no means bad – 6-7 out of 10. He looked after the ball and created chances which his team-mates squandered. Neymar IMHO had a pretty poor match against Columbia, yet misplaced passes were put down to players… Read more »
Well put.
Perhaps, by being an uncharacteristically expensive signing for Arsenal, Özil becomes a victim of tall poppy syndrome.
It’s not obvious to me how he can make that snowball stop rolling. Helping win Arsenal our first trophy in (how many? can’t remember…) years was clearly not enough. You get a feeling that even if he won the world cup with Germany and the double with Arsenal in the same season, the ‘experts’ would think he was having a bit of an off season.
The pundits are part of the problem with English football. They expect kick and rush footy, yet they want the England team to develop amazing technique. England never had a hope.
All Arsenal fans will/should have realised how he important he is when we flopped while he was injured. When Bergkamp says he can see the resemblance of his game, you must take note!
Even Messi and Ronaldo gets criticised when they are scoring and winning matches. Ignore these non-footballer critics
if Ozil is shit you cant assemble a starting 11 let alone the WC
There is no player in football who confuses me as much as Özil. I think it’s because he’s got such a poor dribbling technique compared to most number 10s such as David Silva, James Rodriguez, Messi etc. The time when a player will be most widely judged is when he’s on the ball, because all the attention’s on him. Yet this isn’t Özil’s forte. He’s better at off the ball stuff. He doesn’t try and do it all himself, he complements others instead. Which makes it hard to understand his playing style because the time he’s at his best is… Read more »
This is hilarious. Where in your expert opinion is he at his best, by a corner flag, by a goalpost or on the half way line near the bench?
Ehrm.. Özil’s dribbling is amazing.
This is quite interesting actually – I disagree, in that Ozil’s dribbling is fantastic but in that sense, so is Jack’s. But the difference between the two mid-fielders is in their decision making. Ozil sees the pass and sees the space – he pitches it perfectly or moves to where the ball should come to. Jack dribbles extremely well but he doesn’t know when to release, when to draw the foul such that he doesn’t get injured and is often in no mans land. Fortunately, that decision-making can develop through experience – Ozil has it naturally. So to most, he’s… Read more »
haha..what. Ozil’s ball control and dribbling are only second to his passing and decision making.
So tell us, what is Ozil doing wrong whilst dribbling, since you have “… a high opinion of [your] footballing knowledge” ha
I think you have got it hopelessly wrong, and instead of spending time watching Messi, Rodriguez and Silva, why not watch more arsenal games and ozil.
Ozils also significantly taller than them so dribbling isnt as easy, yet is still incredible at it so bare that in mind
Maybe you should try adjusting your opinion of your knowledge when managers like Wenger, Mourinho and Loew think otherwise
I can’t help think this is all inspired by the same lazy journalists who have steadfastly refused to publicly state that the lack of pots during last few years at Arsenal was down to the fact that we followed a long term investment strategy – the building of the best stadium in the country in the middle of one of the most expense cities in the world in terms of land costs. They have consistently promoted the “x” years since a pot line while all the time exempting clubs they continue to describe as “big” such as Tottnumb, Mugsmashers and… Read more »
Exctly what he sid
You’re misunderstanding. Controversy breeds clicks, moderation breeds understanding. You know which one tabloids want, surely.
I don’t think I am. Don’t click, they go away. Lives are improved. Even the talentless hacks who may need to start new careers. Perhaps as traffic wardens or public toilet attendants. Something in keeping with their talents.
Exactly. Don’t click and they will be sacked or change.
Ex-football pundits like to slag off players because they like to think they are better than Messi, Ozil, Neymar etc.
Mesut fucking Özil!!!
In the last game Ozil made a run down the left and laid a beautiful ball in which 2 forwards missed. This does not get recorded and so the “experts” can continue to spout about him not making enough chances.
Exactly what i was thinking…I dont care if he puts out a bed to sleep on during the match, as long as he can create chances for others, he is doing a good job. The england team is full of players with energy,”passion” and steel. Didnt help them right? So the pundits need to shut up about players they cant figure out.
Great point. That clown Henderson has got plenty of “Pashun”. Yet he couldn’t pass to a teammate if they were both locked in a phone box.
The standard of pundits in this country is frankly about as low as it can be and both reflects the standards of English coaching and is part of the problem in terms of England developing great players.
Still, as long as they have the endurance of Mo Farah, the “steel” of Alan Shearer and the “Pashun” of Ryan Shawcross it’ll al be alright on the night.
Feckin hopeless.
I was even hoping France would push it to extra time, and I was still mad that Muller couldn’t put that pass away.
I disagree with the view that he hasn’t been playing poorly this WC. In possession he has been really unadventurous and his movement off the ball has been that of a guy unhappy with where he is playing. Sorry guys, we are all big fans but he is struggling a bit. Before i get shot down here can I add I am a big fan of the player but was hoping to see the ozil of 4 years ago who was integral to the German system. Haven’t seen that. So far I may add!
I agree. Perhaps a lot of people on here are defensive because he is a Gooner. I like him….but I can see why people think he is playing below par. A lot of the time that I have watched him, he makes little effort to close people down or chase down a ball after he has lost it. If I was his team mate, I’d be thinking ‘what a prick….’
Because if you pay a lot of money for a player, you judge him by how much he runs about?
How quintessentially English, in regard to assessing a footballer.
Whether you pay nothing for a player or pay a lot of money for a player…..you want to see them making an effort and working hard for the team.
Or according to you….perhaps not?
If I was your team mate, I’d be thinking ‘what a prick….’
Thats because his job is to find the space and be open. If everyone were to play your way then there would be a ball and 20 players kicking at it simultaneously.
Have you considered the quality of the rest of the German team has improved dramatically as well, so he doesn’t have to be the one doing everything because there are 10 other guys on the pitch who aren’t shite either.
I don’t think his elegant, sometimes languid look helps him, the way he glides about the pitch so effortlessly. The Journos love a blood and thunder type, or a bitey whorish divey type, and see a big price tag and his apparent ” lack of effort ” as a good reason to target him.
I personally thought he had a good if not great 1st season, and once he gets used to the pace of the premier league he will don it, especially with a few improvements to the team.
So fuck em Mesut, we love ya!!! COYG!!!!
Does seen like everyone s on his case unjustified by those stats , andy Townsend the biggest nob for slating him every game he commentates on when Germany play same as Gary two yard tap in linekar .id love to see him lift the World Cup that won’t be too bad for some one who was Supposed to have a shit season ….fa cup and World Cup not to bad ay …..knobs linekar and Townsend
He’s so shite that he will play for Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi final. And I hope in the final.
He’s so shite that Arsenal smashed their transfer record for him.
He’s so shite.
I reckon for a player of Mesut Ozils stature, it must be awfully hard to take criticism from such a footballing great as Andy Townsend.
And by “great” I , of course, mean “utter mediocrity”.
Ozil is at his most dangerous and creative when he has a pacey forward to slide passes through. Germany play pretty conservatively, almost Tiki taka cuntelona type at times. When ozil has a Ramsey or a Walcott or (at Madrid ronaldo) running beyond defences there is no better player at sliding a perfect ball through to them..
The thought of a Sanchez – ozil – Walcott
Trident is absolutely mouth watering. Not to mention Ramseys late runs into the box… God damn look out next season
Don’t forget our little Spanish maestro Santi Cazorla.
Özil is an easy target for most critics as he doesn’t play that traditional game style of finding the back of the net on his own. He is a true maestro that brings out the potential in players around him, though the style of his teammates is always a factor there. He will have a better season for Arsenal, that goes without saying really, but the criticism of him for his World Cup performance is unjustified because he is still demonstrating his talent and prowess and Die Mannschaft are benefitting nicely from it.
All it is, is just pure jealousy from other fans that he’s an arsenal player. We have özil, I mean who wouldn’t be jealous! We love him here at the arsenal and he’ll be assisting us all the way to the top next season! COYG!
Forget about the rant. This will be the most formidable attacking unit in the whole of premier league next season centered around Ozil: Ozil + Walcott + Sanchez + Cazorla. Add to that a Ramsey, Ox, Wilshere, Rosicky, Poldi, arteta.
I don’t understand why any of us need to give a rat’s fck to what these pundits say.
I know lots of people like to complain about Giroud but I’d actually put him into that mix – as in, Ozil at #10, Walcott/Sanchez on the wings, Giroud up top, Ramsey in the middle of the park making runs. I could imagine that working really well.
Seconded. I expect to see Sanchez (if we signed him) playing on the left, right and up front at various points in the season, but my starting top 4 would have to be Giroud, Sanchez, Ozil, Walcott.
In such a situation we would have at least three of Cazorla, Wilshere, Rosicky, Ox and Podolski on the bench. Now that’s squad depth.
yeah, but its hard to imagine Cazorla not being in preferred starting 11. I think Wenger will prefer Sanchez against teams that don’t sit back whilst Giroud will start against more physical and defensive teams, in effect rotating between them. When Sanchez isnt playing as a CF, he’d be deployed at LW. I don’t see how else we can keep everyone happy.
Maybe I was being a bit vague on Özil’s dribbling. I was thinking more about his technique and how he operates in tight spaces. For example Santi has that telephone booth control where the ball just sticks to his feet, and he caresses it beautifully. Whereas Özil is better at being in space when he receives the ball, meaning he doesn’t need to use that close control. What I meant by the off the ball stuff was that he spends most of the match looking for space, rather than looking for the ball. Then once the ball is given to… Read more »
I agree about the dribbling – it’s just not Oezil’s thing. It’s not many players’ thing in fact, Gervinho being quite a rare example of a player who could dribble past three or four defenders. But he couldn’t do Oezil’s pin-point passes. Why expect players to be what they’re not? Oezil is brilliant in his own way and that’s more than enough.
Not technically good?
Bring back Gervinho.
Yeah, I miss his ability to dribble past players and then fall over.
So, here are my issues with this: First, where are you getting the idea that most number 10s is some sort of dribbling superstar? Sure, James and Neymar are good runners, but traditional number 10s include people like Rooney, not exactly the world’s premier dribbler. The role of a number 10s need to be able to spread the play, set up strikers and get on the end of knock-downs…all of which Ozil does. Second, where are you getting the idea that Ozil can’t dribble? Check out this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP-UQW1g1NY to see how many times he runs past defenders (and how… Read more »
Sorry for the typo; the first sentence should read “where are you getting the idea that the traditional number 10s is some sort of dribbling superstar?”
I heard Mark Lawrenson say that he thinks Özil has had a quiet woeld cup. I wish HE would be quiet! Why does he present football anyway? I thought a key feature of a sports presenter was a good voice? Lawrenson sounds like a moaning trade unionist out of some gritty BBC drama about the miners strikes or something.
he sounds like someone’s Gran
He writes like someone’s senile gran.
I went to a large percentage of our home games last season and was nearly always impressed by Mesut. What some people see as him “drifting out of the game” is nearly always him stretching the defence by holding his position out wide, attracting defenders and creating space for his teammates. We’re a better, more fluid team with Mesut and I think he’ll flourish this season
Oh by the way, John Terry is a cunt
Let’s be honest… Özil attracts a fair bit of criticism for a reason. Even in his best game, he’s never the type to go buzzing about like a man possessed all over the pitch. With his languid look, he does no more than what he’s supposed to do with ball, always seeking players in more dangerous positions – sometimes even when he has the best shooting chance. In that aspect, he’s the most unselfish playmaker you’ll ever see. Off the ball, he’s never been one to work his butt off pressing hard an opponent, helping out defenders. That makes him… Read more »
The problem with critics is that they are more-often-than-not both wrong and wrong by a distance. The other problem with critics is that they hardly ever get taken to task by hindsight. Remember when Ramsey wasn’t good enough for Arsenal? When it was pointless keeping Rosicky on our books? When Szczesny would never make the grade? When Walcott kept on making the wrong decision and was a complete waste of space? Or Olivier Giroud … Remember the bandwagon that was zonal marking? Now Cazorla, it seems, is useless. Mertesacker can’t defend. Ozil is rubbish. And Arteta is past it. It’s… Read more »
The thing is that Ozil makes his passes look easy. Like something every player could do. For instance when you see him run wide with the ball at his feet. He will never cross the ball just for the sake of crossing it like so many others do. If the striker is packed in by defenders he will wait for another player to make a run. Then lay the ball back for a shot at from around the box. There is always a smart thought behind his play. He nearly always make the right decissions on the pitch. He is… Read more »
Honestly, the Ozil criticism is mostly agenda driven. At least in England. They could believe he came to us so everything he did was criticized. The numbers don’t support the criticism so they say it’s his demeanor. He had the same demeanor at Madrid and nobody gave a fuck
It’s obvious what’s going on here. The critics are Sp*rs fans. You know what I say to this?
“You sold Bale, we signed Mesut Ozil, Mesut Ozil!”
Top player for club and country, the stats don’t lie!
We love Mesut. And that’s all that counts.
The nay sayers can fuck off.
Germans will always criticise Mesut. Because: 1. He doesn’t sing the anthem. 2. He is not smiling or biting or showing other “positive” emotional stuff all the time. 3. People want him to score goals, assist, be a defender and a goalkeeper at the same time. 4. We are winning a game and every German fucktard is saying that he was so weak instead of being happy about the victory. We Germans are kind of like the most critical folk in the world. The English media is criticising him because he plays for us. If he was in Manchester you… Read more »
This criticism is fucking retarded. ‘Ozil is lazy’ – Then why does he cover more ground in a match compared to team average? ‘Ozil’ is useless’ – Then how did he create more chances than James? ‘Ozil is a flop’ – 7 goals and 14 assists is a flop apparently, considering that David Silva had a brilliant season with 8 goals and 12 assists. This is just because he is an Arsenal player. I seem to remember Poldi also got some flak during Euro ’12 when he had just joined us. But fuck this shit – Arsene and Low don’t… Read more »
If your girlfriend leaves you. You can always blame Ozil…
I bought a ticket on the lottery and it didn’t win. It’s Ozil’s fault.
And if he wins the world cup people will still say he’s a bit shit or nicking a living! Jealous he’s a gooner? Maybe.
Mesut Ozil = Chicken Joe from Surf’s Up.
He has that languid, stoner style that curiously wins trophies… AND he has those eyes man:
http://www.sharewallpapers.org/d/13463-1/2007+Surfs+Up+016.jpg
https://static-secure.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/columnists/2013/9/3/1378213570966/Mesut-Ozil-008.jpg
Nothing wrong with this magnificent wizard! Floks pull him JUST BECAUSE HE IS AT EMIRATES ARSENAL….criticism are surely from those who genuinely admire him and his assists but failed to accept his CHOICE: Arsenal! otherwise no reasons what so ever…..Stats proves they are completely wrong n by thumps up for the analysis@arseblog!
It’s not like the Germans are forced to play Ozil due to a lack of alternatives. They’re playing him ahead of Gotze, Schurrle, Podolski, and Draxler at LW. And those Germans know a thing or two about football.
People who say that Mesut Ozil is a flop are cunts and should be adopted by John Terry!
John Terry hasn’t said Ozil is a flop. Is this the start of his Redemption?
um, no, he’ll always be a cunt, but at least he knows Ozil is a great player.
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/players/player=305036/statistics.html
Not sure where the stats came from in this article but those are the stats from FIFA.
Ozil has done more than 22% of Germany’s total passes in their 6 matches at the Finals… Lazy bastard.
This place is like Fox News. Any reasonable dissenting voices get crushed. A reasonable summary of ozil’s form would be that he had a good first season us. Some quiet spells but definitely suffered from lack of movement in front of him. Most gooners are enthusiastic about what he can do next season. But honestly he has not been ANYWHERE near his best in this WC. Stop making excuses for him. Last WC he was amazing and not just against England. I wish more fans could accept that sometimes our best players don’t play well and that you can say… Read more »
He may not have been anywhere near his best this tournament, but he has created 19%, that’s one-fifth, of his team’s chances, second on the team behind Muller (21%) That’s more than, oh, Suarez, Schneider, Van Persie, Hazard, Oscar, Cavani, and Kroos, just to name a few, and the same as such half-wits as Iniesta, Silva, and Pirlo. He’s played well. Very well. Comparing him to Neymar and Rodruiguez (who has probably been the outstanding player in the entire Cup) is an insult to him and Muller, and so many others. And it is a bad comparison, if for no… Read more »
OK, just for you, I’ll repeat what I just said…
According to FIFA’s stats (see link above) Ozil has done more than 22% of Germany’s total passes in their 6 matches at the Finals. But he has not been ANYWHERE near his best in this WC? ANYWHERE??
I reckon with more movement in front of him from Theo, Gnabry and Sanchez we’ll see the best of Ozil….can’t wait!
Ozil is Class! 42 million is a snip for what he did and will do for Arsenal in the future. It is quite a good problem to have to deal with in terms of expensive underperforming flops. I mean for Arsenal it is usually came on a free or bargain basement traded for virgin gypsy blood underperforming flops which make our recent attack or defense of our own Existential Ozil all the more interesting. Why is there never any perspective, I mean after Ozil comes in 2nd in Player of the Year voting to our very own Rambo with 8… Read more »
DAMMIT I SAID ÖZIL CONFUSES ME. Look, if what I said about my footballing knowledge came across as arrogant it wasn’t meant to and I apologise. But I think it was taken out of context. I can no longer see my comment due to its severe unpopularity but I think what I said was “I have a high opinion of my footballing knowledge but Mesut Özil really does confuse me”. Which was meant to highlight how much he confuses me in comparison to most football matters, rather than me blowing my own trumpet. But this was understandably misinterpreted – just… Read more »
Are you Gary Lineker? You keep telling us what a high opinion of your football knowledge you have. This is very Linekeresque.
“ah fink ‘ee shud run about a bit more and maybe improve on ‘is getting stuck in”
When I read stuff like that I just think it’s akin to asking someone to use a surgical scalpel like a hatchet or a hammer. That’s just not how it works.
Thanks for this! The criticism of Ozil just makes no sense to me.
Bergkamp walks on water, soon Ozil will be too