There was a fine discussion on AA yesterday. No surprise that Mr Ozil was the centre of attention.
As I have the floor, may I take the opportunity to expand my thoughts?
It comes down tho this, do I want Arsenal to become a defensive unit in the manner of George Graham’s teams post ’89 or do I want to watch a team which can win through artistry rather than endeavour? ( hopefully we can have both).
Once GG won the title his modus operandi was to denude the team of inspiration to the point where the midfield consisted of water carriers to supply the mercurial God8. It was successful but awful to watch. In retrospect the singing of “1-0 to The Arsenal” may have assured GG that we were happy. Like many I was relieved when he left.
Why were we so happy with Wenger? Because we shed the Boring Boring Arsenal tag. Over almost 20 years we were privileged to watch artists encouraged to be creative, in later years AW struggled but we still watched Cesc or Rosicky or RVP or Arshavin etc
Today we have PEA, Ozil and Lacazette who have the skill sets to get you out of your seat, Especially Ozil.
Those who question his work rate do not acknowledge his non-stop movement in the quest to find space. From this space he can create opportunity for the strikers but inevitably Ozil has weaknesses, and in particular, his unwillingness to defend (though I think this is exaggerated). I don’t care but Mr. Emery clearly does.
Like all on AA, I am willing to give Unai time; this is not his squad, nor is Ozil the type of player he likes. At Seville he built a team based around a strong defence. At PSG he was sacked because he couldn’t work with Neymar, nor play the type of attacking, flowing football required by the Qatar Oilers. Let us not forget that he won the French treble before he was asked to leave so it wasn’t due to a lack of silverware.
This is purely my opinion and possibly/probably not the view of the majority but … we are not going to compete with MC/MU/ Chelsea or Liverpool for the next few years because Mr. Kroenke will not invest. We may win a Cup. So what are we left with? If we perform exceptionally we MAY get Champions League which would be a major achievement given the outstanding quality of the Top 6.
Anyone who believes Emery will make a root and branch clear-out of the squad is mistaken, we don’t have the money. As such, he must make the very best of the players we have and Ozil is our very best.
Summarising, the Ozil argument is about pragmatism versus artistry. Give me entertainment every time even if this results in frustration and disappointment.
To see Guendouzi/Mhiki/Iwobi/Ramsey repeatedly picked ahead of Ozil infuriates me. Give him 60 minutes and if he is lost sub the man but please don’t waste his talent.
written by BR
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Thanks Raddy, it’s all about opinions. Like all of you, I am a huge fan of Mesut’s creativity, it’s such a shame that he appears to be uncompromising. The only reason I can think that UE isn’t playing Mesut would be because he is not following his instructions (game plan?) … and all the other players are at least trying.
Arsenal wanted a new manager to run the team and they appointed UE after having heard his vision for the team. I understand that FFP may be the reason we can’t buy in January. It may be that UE sees offloading £350k a week by letting MO go is the only way he can release funds to do his job … who knows?
What I do know is that it would be a disgrace if a club of our wealth does not give UE a war chest of £100m or so (FFP allowing) in the summer to deliver his vision of a winning Arsenal team. If there are no funds available in the summer, then I wouldn’t blame UE for walking away, his job would be impossible.
I lean heavily on your side not so much because of artistry but more because of pragmatism. Ozil with his weaknesses would still give more to the team than some of those who are being used to displace him. It doesn’t make a pragmatic sense. It’s always been my view that the smartest thing a coach can do is getting the best out of the players he has. Adapting creatively to them.
We are no City, who can conduct their revolution through a swift player turnover. Our path is more through maximising what we have and the much we can get. Ours is a much slower process that should not demand a surgical operation like excommunicating Ozil whom I fear we can’t even be able to sell.
Yea you are making a very good point here, yes we have a good team but what is left for Arsenal is wingers and a solid defence. Ozil is one our best player but keep wondering why he is always benched, they should get a good wingers and a solid defence with Ozil, iwobi and the two striker are good to go.
Very well put, BR. The Mesut question is indeed also about club identity, about style. If we cannot incorporate a king of assists and key passes, who produces magic when least expected, into a modern day Arsenal team because of his perceived ‘lack of balls/defensive work rate’ we have indeed become poorer and the future looks bleak. ‘Mesut Ozil, Mesut Ozil, I just don’t think you understand’ is one of the best Arsenal songs ever and it is not just aimed at rival fans; you either get it or you don’t.
As per your post, it was amazing how Arsene turned round the playing style of the club and was successful with it. This is very hard to achieve. DB, Rosicky, Cesc, Mesut. It was a major achievement to bind Ozil to the club and I saw it as an investment in our culture/ playing style. The fact that Emery does not get this/ wants to change him – in conjunction with his apparent issues at PSG – is a bad omen.
Unai, love, trust Mesut and give him freedom to produce the goods up front; just accept his bearable lightness of being and on-field magic, and ask the likes of Torreira, Laca, Xhaka to work to their strengths and mix it all into an unbeatable machine. Your success at Arsenal will stand or fall with it.
I agree with you Rasp, Unai needs to be given a decent budget asap.
Hastily it may have been written, but spot on it ended up!
Entertainment every time. Genius rules. Pragmatism stinks! One Mesut equals ten Milners.
“ALL WE ARE SAYING, IS GIVE YOOF A CHANCE”!
Great post BR
FFP that actually exists
Didn’t realise that why we couldn’t buy playeds
Talk about actually existing….
😀 😀
Cheers, BR.
The whole Mesut affair has to be detrimental to the Club in one way or another. I wish they could get it sorted.
I definitely want to see our best players on the pitch.
Emery must get two seasons (at least) to sort his squad/team out.
I’m just wondering what we’ll be left with by that stage.
Fred
Can you post a selfie up on here just to prove you’re not made of unicorn’s tears once and for all.
Thanks.
‘Unicorn’s tears’
Rolf
Even I’m beginning to think it’s one of us. Please Fred…..
Don’t do selfies sorry
To much grey
Lovely pic Fred. 🙂
Haha, nice one.
An interesting tack, which I can appreciate.
The Arsenal can have their cake and eat it too.
FFP is a mirage, just ask $h*tty, manure, chavs pSg, real or barca. No one has followed that mandate-ever.
If the Arsenal management are not smart enough to either side skirt it, out maneuver or blind the accountants with loaning players or shell corporations, than the club is doomed. I am not advocating outright cheating, but for goodness sakes at least head towards that slippery slope, the line, or the edge.
Will just say, I loved to watch Arsene’s teams play, especially when there was some defensive stability.
The Arsenal right now have NONE. Emery can’t even field a team that can play a measly 10 games in a row together, not talking about entire lineup, just the defense. Clearly, Emery can combine the two to have a competitive team.
Are the Arsenal really broke? stan the man would have you believe that, all the while he builds a multi-billion dollar stadium in LA.
Fred, with a background like that why are you following footie in cold, wet miserable London?
Live, love, laugh!
I agree with you, BR, 100%.
I see the problem is that UE wants what UE wants, and not what AFC needs.
I am also concerned at his leaving PSG, a team where he had endless funds available to buy who he wanted, but did not stay because he could not control Neymar, the inspiration of the team.
I am sure that I have seen statistics that show Ozil running as much or even more than most of the players in the team.
It seems that the “problem” is that he is running in the wrong direction.
Have we not seen in the recent games without him a dearth of adequate passes for our front runners?
I agree he should be played for what he is good at, not for what he is not.
Lol
Here’s the latest team news update from our medical team ahead of Tuesday night’s Premier League clash against Cardiff City:
Laurent Koscielny
Bruising and soft tissue swelling to face and jaw. Being reviewed on a daily basis.
Sokratis
Left ankle. Expected to return to full training by the end of February.
Hector Bellerin
Left knee. Being fully assessed prior to surgery.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Right foot. Being integrated back into full training.
Rob Holding
Left knee. Recovering after surgery.
Danny Welbeck
Right ankle. Recovering after surgery.
Copyright 2019 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.
Thanks for the post Raddy,
Like the rest of us I have no idea what’s going on with Ozil but suffice to say he’s in the dominant position and not the club. If he is on 350 a week why would he want to leave for less? makes no sense.
It’s good to see that the injuries to Koscielny and Sokratis don’t appear to be serious and that Mkhitrayan is on the way back. Sounds like early March for all three of them.
Oops Kos and Mkhit early Feb but Sok early March.
We will sorely miss Sokratis as he has become our defensive leader.
Totnum currently going all spursy 🙂
Ivan Perisic has been left on the bench for Inter’s Serie A encounter with Torino amid speculation linking the midfielder with a transfer to Arsenal.
Inter have reportedly rejected a loan offer made for the 29-year-old by the Gunners, whose boss Unai Emery has already confirmed he will only be able to sign players on a temporary basis in January.
But a potential move for Perisic may have edged closer, with Luciano Spalletti having left the Croatia international out of his starting XI for Sunday’s visit to Torino.
Perisic starred at Russia 2018 as Croatia made it to their first World Cup final, but his form for Inter has tailed off, with the former Wolfsburg star having netted just three goals across 25 appearances in all competitions so far this campaign.
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Inter
✔
@Inter
📋 | Ecco i nostri 11 per #TorinoInter #FORZAINTER ⚫️🔵
620
11:55 AM – Jan 27, 2019
329 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Spalletti hinted in his pre-match news conference that a deal could be done, but Inter’s head coach told Sky Italia that the price must be right.
“It’s a player that has been talked about because everyone values him as much as we do, and if anyone wants to buy him they will need to pay him good money because we rate him a lot,” he said.
Perisic similar to mkhitaryan think we need more pace in the wide areas so hope we won’t be getting him
Excellent Post, BR.
Mesut’s slump in form has come on so swiftly – who is to say his form won’t come back just as swiftly?
Maybe, Unai has told him he will be sold in the summer, and that has affected him. Just speculation, but isn’t that sort of thing that Pogba and Moanhio went thru, and Pogba was rubbish — Moan got the boot and Pogba looks terrific again.
Özil is a naturally skilled player and he will come good.
Cheers Raddy
I suppose the Mesut situation is a matter of perspective.
The power of the perspective should not be underestimated. The reason I have not been around for a while is that about 6 months ago after a routine visit to the Doctor he informed me that I have about 30 years to live.
His nonchalance in announcing my death sentence left me completely gobsmacked. How could any one be so callous? And what was I to do now knowing that I would probably snuff it before Stan Kronke?
I mean, when my old man was given six months he had the comfort of not having to worry about it long so my situation is a lot worse. Indeed, he only lasted several weeks so got off lightly.
My dear mother was very fortunate, passing away suddenly whilst watching Countdown. A few weeks later I wrote to Carol Vorderman explaining the circumstances and stipulating she owed me a favour. Don’t let that mathematical prowess or delightful ass fool you. The women has no empathy and after responding with disgusting nine letter insults threatened a mathematical conundrum of five big ones.
The power of perspective was bought truly home to me when i plucked up the courage to ring my daughters to tell them the tragic news.My eldest cried out “Mum, dad reckons hes only got 30 years to live” It was then i could hear in the background her wailing and shouting “Oh why, why, why” I found it amazing she could show such love?
For some, Mesut is a genius. For others, he is a nine letter word, which there probably still trying to figure out.
Bur
Terry, Terry, Terry – you have been missed.
Mr. Mancini…….Your alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😉
https://www.goal.com/en/news/young-stars-should-avoid-arsenal-and-the-premier-league/33uf53pmpuy71p12jyxfnycw8
Perisic has more to him than Micky and is a genuine winger. Loan with flexibility in buy on price would lift the team IMO.
Not many think it will happen despite his transfer request.
In meantime, can we get Mav on the pitch for Tues with Kos in a mask?
New week, new positivity!
NEW POST
At Dortmund wasn’t mkhitaryan a winger also
Just thought we would get someone with some pace
Cause besides aubameyang and Hector don’t have much fast players
Imagine sending a guy of ozil calibre on loan