Arsene Wenger says Mesut Ozil has regained his focus after suffering mentally in the wake of Arsenal’s 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The Germany international scored his tenth goal of the season and claimed his tenth assist as the Gunners beat West Ham United 3-0 at the Emirates to boost their chances of securing a top four finish.
Speaking after the game, the boss noted: “I feel that he is back physically, with focus.
“He felt, I think I know him quite well, I felt he had been hit hard by us going out in the Champions League and it took him some time to recover from that mentally.
“I feel for a few weeks now in training that he is really focused again and that comes out in the game.”
Ozil’s agent suggested recently that his client had been made a scapegoat in the aftermath of Arsenal’s Champions League exit and Wenger shrugged off the criticism as part of life in the media spotlight.
“We live in a world of extremes,” continued the boss.
“We are always praised maybe more than we deserve it when it goes well and punished more than we deserve it when it doesn’t go well, but that’s the whole world.”
It was good to see a smile on his face again – hopefully the goal and performance can bring out the best of him in the run-in. A confident and in-from Ozil can be unplayable.
@midgunner. Yeah I agree mate – it was class to see him score again. He took a while to get into the game I thought. He was a be tentative in the first half, but he really stepped it up a gear in the second half and deservedly got a goal. I suppose in reflection it is kind of hard to really quantify how good he actually was because West Ham were so so poor. They had zero interest in actually trying to win that game at all. I kind of feel sorry for their fans a bit because we… Read more »
The media and some dumb fans will not be satisfied till they’ve chased out the best number 10 in the world. Look, I agree the number 10 role is slightly getting obsolete and all, but when it comes to creating in the final 3rd, Nobody – I repeat – nobody does it better than Mesut Ozil. I don’t care if he doesn’t run like a maniac, when it comes to doing his job i.e create, Ozil is consistent at it. He had to adapt his game to playing alongside giroud after struggling initially. If Wenger had bought/found a world class… Read more »
“But does he do it in the big games though?”
“The whole team falls apart in big games.”
“No, but does he do it enough in the big matches?”
The media’s stupid, fuck ’em.
Fully agreed. The ability to create great goal scoring chances, especially so for Arsenal as teams look to bunker down and defend deep against us, is imperative and far more important than anything else. Coupled with the fact that ozil has brilliant technic, which allows him to control the ball and keep it away from defenders when heavily marked makes him a huge asset. He is to me a much more important player to keep compared to Alexis as his qualities are harder to be replaced in this current market and our requirements. There are plenty of players similar to… Read more »
Ozil needs a sidekick behind him. We don’t have any thrust from the middle of the pitch – everything is taken wide then back and wide again. Cazorla has been missed. Iwobi is a great foil but he is played too further forward and in zones dominated by Alexis. Ramsey when he is fit tends to jig to his own beat. Ox is really exciting and I hope he stays and earns a bumper new contract. I wouldn’t be averse to us buying a long-limbed carrier-harrier like Bakayoko or Nzonzi either.
Agreed. Think Naby Keita or Paredes would be a perfect fit alongside him. Paredes can sort of offer what Santi does.
I love Mesut for many reasons, but I really wish he had some way of handling the bad times better. He’s proven quality but he seems to lack a bit of fighting spirit at times. I’m not talking about his languid style here, but his poor performances when a big game is going against us.
He needs somebody to lead him in those matches, like when he has Ronaldo at Real Madrid, or Neuer/Lahm/Boateng/etc. for the DFB.
Agree. Somehow this team hasn’t really gelled like it should. Players haven’t had each other’s backs when shit has hit the fan.
It doesn’t help having a petulant egoist running around pointing fingers. That is for sure.
I’d like to see fire met with fire. One of my personal regrets this season is that this team doesn’t have a strong character to counter and challenge Alexis yet. Someone needs to perform as well as he does and talk to him as an equal. Iniesta, Messi, Pique, Dani Alves, Mascherano, etc weren’t the sort of guys to wilt in face of someone pointing fingers at them if even there was a need for Alexis to do that.
Big Bro BFG needs to freshly draw the line in the pitch again.
I wish he’d jump for a header. I’d pay a billion rubles to see that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx9dR-D4Ces
Technically he jumped.
You can forward that billion rubles to my offshore account. In US$, unmarked bills please. That includes no orange face paint.
Haha. Now that you are filthy rich will you free us from Kroenke, Mpls? Or at least sponsor an Mbappe or two?
In honor of Trumps I’m bringing back Andrey, and Happy Meals for everyone!
Elneny and Xhaka looking great together? A physically recovered Ozil back in the side? Hmm, it’s that time of year again isn’t it? Wenger comes through a crisis and makes a couple of changes to the team helping see us into the Champion’s League places. It’s not been pretty this season and I think most of us will feel a change of manger (or at least a shake up with the coaching staff) is needed, but for now I’m right on board with the fourth place trophy race! Come on guys, do what you do best! Then we can all… Read more »
Just think what a “change of manger” might have done for Joseph and Mary…
Might have missed out on all that myrrh.
You’re on good form today, @MPLS
Broken clocks, and all that.
I agree although i feel than none of those players wants to be a part of a team that’s remembered for ending Wenger’s run of qualifying for the champions league. It’s a shame it’s taken this to wake some of the players up. I welcome it though and it is just my opinion. COYG
Without wishing to appear unsympathetic, why is a fairly experienced professional footballer ‘hit hard’ for several weeks after being knocked out of a tournament, even if it was a particularly heavy defeat? Surely someone who’s been playing top level football for a decade should be able to handle that and move on. Although winning is clearly preferable, it’s kind of part and parcel of competitive sport to lose sometimes. He obviously didn’t read the small print when he joined Arsenal.
Experienced professional footballers have feelings, too. Ozil is clearly more sensitive. By your argument, fans should also be able to handle what has been unfolding and move on. Part and parcel of competitive sport to lose sometimes? 🙂 For all the Bergkamp comparisons Ozil still has to mature as a creative leader who transmits his ideas effectively and assertively when circumstances are really against him. I hope to see that happen next season after he extends his contract with us.
Agreed, and as with most creative people whatever their discipline, he probably has a fragile ego…..
Don’t necessarily agree that it was unreasonable for Ozil to be “hit hard” following our shabolic performances in BOTH games against Munich. We were’t just “knocked out of a tournament”, we had our arses handed to us TWICE. Ozil is a top player & wants to compete at the highest level. The results of BOTH games showed the differences in competition, desire & ambition between the 2 clubs, & it was obvious for all to see. Further more the results seemed to be viewed as acceptable at owner & board level for Arsenal (they wouldn’t have been with Munich). He… Read more »
Maybe, because he is a human being.
You’re gonna get thumbs down but I completely agree. You win as a team, you lose as a team, if you want to be one of the higest earners at the club, you knuckle down and perform for us when the chips are down. As impressive as he was last night, he took half an hour to get going just like the others, and that was a very poor West Ham team that we played at home. We need to see more performances like this not just in the big games, but in the Watford games when we’re being kicked,… Read more »
The words “too little”, and “too late” spring to mind
say what you want about him, But 10 goals and 10 assists in a season where he has had his ups and downs is a fantastic return
“We are always praised maybe more than we deserve it when it goes well and punished more than we deserve it when it doesn’t go well, but that’s the whole world.”
Word.
Wenger’s the one who does most of his own praising. But never any punishing.
Fortunately he’s got plenty of supporters looking for the slightest opportunity to do that for him.
And beside that, you’re just plain wrong there. It’s all too painfully obvious what the repeated disappointments do and have done to him.
“We are always praised maybe more than we deserve it when it goes well and punished more than we deserve it when it doesn’t go well, but that’s the whole world.”
I’m surprised there’s no news post on what Wenger said in his press conference right after this. After Wenger answered this question on Ozil someone mentioned that there were Arsenal fans singing one Arsene Wenger at the end and how he felt. For anyone who wants to watch it it’s literally the last minute of the post match press conference. Wenger got really emotional and said: when you’re such a long time at the club you care really about the people who care about the club and you know how sad they are when it doesn’t go well. I can… Read more »
I don’t think you have to even want him to stay on to NOT HUMILIATE the boss. He is first and foremost one of us. It is stupid that some think they have to act a certain way to have their voices heard. The character assassination and self-important whining has been appalling. Maybe when the haze lifts from their frenzied brains, in hindsight, some might realise that in the face of failure and disappointment their actions didn’t help one bit. They have compounded the misery this season.
And he can wipe those tears and blow his nose and light a cigar with £50 notes from the personal fortune he has amassed from Arsenal
Are you an idiot?
He’s so temperamental. Switched on, he is amazing. Hopefully if Alexis and him can find the partnership they had in first half of season (and there were signs of it), we can push on the final 9 matches plus (hopefully) 2 in the FA cup. Until yesterday that’s 30 points to play for and we just took the first 3. If we can win ALL of them (IF), that’s 81 points. The other player I think we need to see more of now is Giroud. Welbeck was largely ineffective for most of the game. Start Giroud I say. Excellent goal,… Read more »
I think Wenger should give the Captain’s armband to Alexis. No harm. If he leaves anyway, its the curse of the armband. Otherwise, there’s no one with more appetite to win the game than Alexis. Mustafi also has a bit of bite to him which I like. We need these sort of players to pull the others along by the scruff of the neck. Remember how Sagna scored against Spurts and brought us back into it? That’s the sort of spirit we need if we are going to catch the teams ahead of us. If we can keep winning, we… Read more »
I disagree with the general opinion that Ozil is a luxury player. He is IMO, a final 3rd player or a player that plays a telling or penetrative pass. What he isn’t is a player with awesome dribbling skills (not to knock on his ability on the ball, because he is able to beat his marker, just not like hazard). He is one of the best if not the best at what he does, but like all team games, the other team mates need to function properly and right now we’re seeing a shitty ozil because the midfield is fuck… Read more »