Ozil to leave the home of football?
What a load of hysterical nonsense, the man gets left out for two games and he is on his way to Inter, why Inter I don’t know but as the saying goes: never let a lie get in the way of a good story.
Why, oh why, would we let the most gifted player we have at the club leave, it make no sense and it is not going to happen.
Here is another way of looking at things and why they happened but first I want to show that there is a bit of substance to what I have to say. Look below and see that I predicted Emery’s team selection on Sunday.
LB says: December 2, 2018 at 12:41 pm
Great rallying cry BR.
I am sort of expecting Emery to do something very unusual and play the same team that started last week.
COYRRG
Chas says: December 2, 2018 at 1:08 pm
Leno
Bellerin
Mustafi
Holding
Sokratis
Kolasinac
Xhaka
Torreira
Iwobi
Aubameyang
Mkhitaryan
Chas says: December 2, 2018 at 1:12 pm
Good punt, LB.
This post is not about me singing my praises for finally predicting the correct team but why Ozil was left out. The reason is simple, as simple as it was logical why Emery had to play the team he did.
The Basque’s hands were tied by the inability of Kolasinac to defend. Come on we all saw what a mess we got ourselves in against Wolves with the Wardrobe as left back – a scary nightmare that we almost lost.
Further many of us saw how Spuds destroyed Chelsea, funny to think about that now, but they were impressive and would have murdered Kolasinac if left to defend that flank on his own.
All agree up to now? Good, so Emery had to go with a back three and two wing-backs; correct call because Bellerin and Kolasinac were impressive going forward. With that extra berth being taken, as was the case with Bournemouth, there simply isn’t space in the team for Ozil. Does that mean that we no longer need Mesut? Hell no, it means we need a better left wing back so we can revert to playing with four at the back which makes space for Ozil.
Getty Images
Is Ozil unhappy, of course not, there is no shadow of doubt that the ludicrously busy Christmas schedule has been explained to him and the need to keep as many players fit as possible and while that was happening it would have been explained that he had a back problem and should rest and spend time with his family ready for when needed which certainly will coincide with the return of Monreal, if not before, and with that people like me will have the chance, once again, to witness a genius at work.
Written by LB
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Cheers, LB, this made me smile.
Those back spasmy things can be a right bastard.
I was just thinking about how everyone that Arsene wanted to play was seemingly squeezed into the line-up regardless of team balance.
Unai seems the complete opposite. The Wardrobe needs to play in Nacho’s absence, let’s play 5 at the back! 🙂
Morning All,
Still basking 🐳🐋🦎
LB. Thank you for a fine read and congrats upon getting 11/11. A first this season for any of us!
You could have stopped with this, it says everything … “Hell no, it means we need a better left wing back so we can revert to playing with four at the back which makes space for Ozil.”
To be fair to The Wardrobe, he had his best game in the shirt on Sunday as the system works for him. If you have recorded the game, I recommend you re-watch with a focus on Sead whose energy levels are prodigious.
Once you have enjoyed LB’s post, this is an interesting read
Could be right about tactical change to accommodate the Wardrobe. I prefer back problem because Mesut is in ahead of Wobbly and Nicki anyway for me.
But the crux is Dick picks the team and tactics for the game ahead. Any player or fan with any kind of brain should, “praise the Lord”. If AW had a fault it was rigidity of thought, which I’m afraid could be translated into ‘laziness” by the end. Hail the new Emperor. “Unleash hell” on Manure now, Dick.
Thanks LB … we all know how much you love Mesut 🙂 🙂
I cannot question Unai’s performance because so far he’s hardly put a foot wrong. His man management has been excellent. Only someone new coming in could have made the changes that he has … meaning going from player X must always play because he’s brilliant to … I’ll pick the best team and the most effective tactics to deal with the opposition on any given day.
Your hypothesis on the reasoning behind Ozil’s exclusion may be spot on …and if so, it worked.
I am an admirer of Mesut’s genius and his stats for assists don’t lie. The only thing is, I wouldn’t build a team around him because he is not the personality who can take hold of a game and drive the team on … he’s far to modest, he just wants to weave his magic.
So I’m fully behind UE in his strategy to use Ozil in games where he will be effective and rest him when other considerations dictate. Hopefully Mesut will see this in the same way.
Chas I just sent you a post.
LB,
Like yourself I just love to watch Mesut play, he possesses skill levels that the vast majority of players can only dream of emulating.
The big problem with him is that his skills are seldom on display and his lack luster performances cancel out the few games where he is on fire.
I cannot see him ever fitting the new levels of player performance that Emery demands – he just does appear to have the energy that is required on an ongoing basis.
My choice would be Aaron but unfortunately he also displays great levels of inconsistency in his performances.
A man goes to visit his grandpa in hospital.
“How are you grandpa? he asks.
“Feeling fine,” says the old man.
“What’s the food like?”
“Terrific, wonderful menus.”
“And the nursing?”
“Just couldn’t be better. These young nurses really take care of you.”
“What about sleeping?
Do you sleep OK?”
“No problem at all nine hours solid every night.
At 10 o’clock they bring me a cup of hot chocolate and a Viagra tablet and that’s it.
I go out like a light.”
The grandson is puzzled and a little alarmed by this, so rushes off to question the Sister in charge.
“What are you people doing,” he says, “I’m told you’re giving a 95-year-old Viagra on a daily basis.
Surely, that can’t be true?”
“Oh, yes,” replies the Sister.
“Every night at 10 o’clock we give him a cup of chocolate and a Viagra tablet.
It works wonderfully well.
The chocolate makes him sleep, and the Viagra stops him from rolling out of bed.”
Evening all, nice piece LB, hadn’t thought about the selection or non selection in terms of the left back available.
I also think Emery may think that Ozil is not one to effect a game coming off the bench, he needs to be in the heart of it.
I do think his contributions are hard to judge from the comfort of the sofa, and even in ground if you only ever watch the ball, he makes a lot of runs to draw space for others and find space for himself, he moves the ball simply on occasion just to keep the team moving, he rarely makes a bad choice.
But he clearly works better with different players, he is not one to beat a man with tricks preferring one two’s, in that regard Laca is a better foil for his attributes than PEA who so often is looking to be on the shoulder of defenders. I think if we can go to a flat 4 which will be Hector, Holding, Sokratis, Monreal we can release Ozil in a true 10 role behind Laca and in front of Granit and Torreira, then PEA on left and Mikhi on right.
‘I also think Emery may think that Ozil is not one to effect a game coming off the bench’
Very true and not something that anyone else has noticed.
Also yes.
‘I think if we can go to a flat 4 which will be Hector, Holding, Sokratis, Monreal we can release Ozil in a true 10 role behind Laca and in front of Granit and Torreira, then PEA on left and Mikhi on right.’
Do you think Emery will be that brave tomorrow?
When the clock works and all that……………
I am not sure Ozil can dovetail with Iwobi. He seems to work better with Mhiki, perhaps this is due to Iwobi’s penchant for holding onto the ball whereas Mesut enjoys fast passing play
LB I don’t see Emery releasing Ozil tomorrow but who knows, he may think he is better suited to unpicking a Maureen Bus than a Poch Press.
Could be right about Iwobi/Mikhi Raddy, unfortunately think Mikhi and Ozil have a tendency to fill the same positions, even if starting out wide.
I don’t think we can leave a player who can do this out of the team?
Excuse the awful music!
GIE Prior to Emery’s arrival, I would never have imagined a benched Ozil, but somehow we work well without the little genius. This does not mean we cannot function with him in the team and as LB says, if we buy a top quality LB and play a back 4 the format is better suited to Ozil.
Wonderful to have alternatives and a Plan B & C.
LB, what a wonderful piece! 🙂 I dont understand tactical bolleux, but this almost feels that I can follow your logic.
So, two things. First, it has always seemed to me that excellent wingbacks are a rarity. If you encourage them to move forward you lose their defensive sense. Maybe Kola is a bit worse, I do not really know, but the worst mistake on Sunday was committed by Bellerin rushing backwards. That horribly missed pass could have been very costly.
Precisely, by the way, the kind of mistake Mustafi has been committing even when he is not overlapping. But that is another matter, for another day.
Second, let us say I am now convinced we may need a proper left winger. Where do we find one that is good and costs 25-30m? Maybe we should send our in-house European experts (RC et al) scouting?
Most importantly, Emery must be thinking bolleux almost exactly like you. Which is excellent news for us AA afficianados. We now have an insider amonsgst us. Wonderful stuff. 🙂
Raddy. Very sad.
If there is one person in English football that is more detestable than Moaninho, that must be Pubis. This man is a disgrace to society perhaps even more than he is a disgrace to football. He should be in prison. Permanently.
Indeed it is, but I think if we watch that video long enough and see the positions that Ozil receives and moves the ball we may appreciate that he does a lot more work and gets round the pitch more than a lot of people appreciate.
And in some ways that could be why in a game like Spurs Emery favours others, he wanted perhaps a more disciplined shape than Ozil sticks to to stretch Spurs in a certain way and no one can argue that it didn’t work.
Ozil was captain in the 4 games prior to Bournemouth after being left out of squad/injured for Fulham. A decision that of made by Arsene would have led to cries that he doesn’t value the captaincy (just saying).
That surely doesn’t seem like the actions of a manager who is intending to leave him out for any length of time.
I read with interest GN5s comment yesterday about the state of the team at the Emirates left behind by AW compared to that left by SAF at United. None of us thought that we had a particularly great squad last season, but the youth of the squad is surely working in Emery’s favour in that most are capable of being remoulded into something different that a set in his ways veteran could not be.
Gove
Please, please, tell me you do not support a Maureen Bus for tomorrow.
This team need to press a downtrodden Manure, however they may be “lifted” by us as the opposition. Press, threaten, set the Mancs (well their Surrey supporters) against their own team. Score and score again and take three points.
I hope for a back four, with one of our true defensive left backs. With no Xhaka, Terrier10 and Ouzi to start with one other ( if not A M-N, I would even concede to Aaron, even in the less than perfect position) Mesut, Aubang and Laca as the front three. Press from the start. Frighten them to death.
Gove, Gove, Gove!!!! How did that slimy bigot get in here.
GiE, I humbly apologise
Sorry LBG did not make myself clear, I wasn’t saying we should play like that was saying Emery chose a team that would stick to a set shape to beat Spuds and their press, whereas against ManU and likely a MaureenBus we may need Ozil to unpick and move it around.
It’s so busy it’s like Piccadilly Circus……
MATCHDAY
Went out of the Checkatrade Trophy last night. Saka scored this and Kos got some more minutes under his belt ( though apparently went off with a slight knock).
Had to look up what the Checkatrade Trophy actually is. Apparently it was set up as a comp for League One and Two teams.
In 2016/7, 21 Prem and Championship u21 sides were also invited to join in.
David Seaman commenting on one of the Manure v Arse scuffles. “Lauren, now he was a hard case! Do you know he is cage fighting now?!”
BR
Just had a chance to read your Kitson/Pulis comment text from 8.39am yesterday.
Just shocking.
I was also thinking how Ant and me went to several games in a row at Stoke and that was the only one where we got a decent result. Cesc was absolutely magnificent – a real fighter which complimented his supreme silky skills.
The Stoke fans singing about Rambo’s snapped leg for games after will always mean I hold Stoke City FC in contempt for ever more.
From that Stoke game….
Morning All,
Great pics of Cesc.
Terribly disappointed to be out of the Checkatrade. Are Spurs playing Alli, Kane, Dier etc in their U-21’s in a desperate attempt to win some silverware?
In the comments under that Mark Hughes story I’ve just seen a phrase which made me smile……. “the shit manager merry-go-round”.
Pulis, Hughes, Bruce, Allardyce, McClaren, Pardew, Mourinho……the list is endless 🙂
I’d honestly prefer some Spanish chap who’d played half a dozen games for Deportivo La Coruna in the 1980s managing my Club, than any of those arseholes.
Chas 0755
Agree, and interesting how many have Manure links. Shit is brown whoever’s arse it comes from!
Apparently Poxytino is upset Arsenal players celebrated our magnificent NLD win on social media – so, here goes, you fat Argentinian win-nothing no-mark.
chas. Don’t you like Deportivo? Was it Lucas Perez?
A couple of seasons ago I wrote a post about Hughes. It is incredible that he continues to get work. What was the term Moaninho used … ” a specialist in failure” 😀
I think Deportivo are great.
They were just chosen as a smaller Spanish club who might have had an ex player who’d only played just a couple of times and was now a manager that I’d prefer rather than have one of that lot.
No more than that.
How could I dislike Deportivo when they gave us the chance to witness Kanu make everyone at Highbury smile. 🙂
What a great goal that was, my memory is awful when it comes to remembering past games but that one still remains — love it.
I was right in front of the North Bank that night. Kanu just gave him the eyes – genius.
motning all. matchday. 🙂
Unai Emery
There is a New Post
But, Spanish is not quite specific enough. I think he is Basque.