Friday, March 29, 2024

Arsenal Player of the Week: Mesut Ozil

Well, this was unexpected. When was the last time we’ve been in this position, reflecting back on a sheer dominant display against a rival. Oh, yeh… Manchester City. Progress comes to mind. I’m still not entirely convinced, because every attack on Arsenal’s goal sends me to a wretched place, filled with anxiety and memories of recent nightmares.

But not this time.

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We were the ones dishing out the damage. Arsenal dug their claws in and ripped a rival to shreds in front of a glorious and positively stunned home crowd. Well done, Arsenal. You did good. Mezut, get over here. You done got yourself man of the match. Ya! Gunners!

Thank the Gods we didn’t implode after the international break, like we do every year. But not this time (yeh, I said it again). It’ all Coquelins work. Don’t deny it. He’s gone and saved Arsenal’s future by accident. Now there’s a story. In all seriousness, the French midfielder has been magnificent and it’s him that allows our creative players to shake the chains of defensive responsibility and cause mayhem at will. And Mezut DOES do it at will. I’m still baffled by any criticism towards our record signing, internal and external. If you know anything about football it’s that Ozil is a Grade A student – but one of those silent, awkward kids sitting at the back. (Sanchez is the one humiliating the supply teacher.) I’m a couple of hundred words in and haven’t spoke about football or the match yet – I’m slightly delirious by the whole thing.

Right. Business. Football stuff. Ozil things.

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The German was dominant. Nobody can deny it. And likewise, everyone can throw away that toxic label ‘He doesn’t perform in the big games.’ Liverpool is a big game. It wasn’t just Ozil that benefited from the match, the game all but shreds many tags associated with Modern Arsenal. Giroud also buried a beauty. Thankfully, I’m only discussing in the football sense. He’s evolved since last season. I think he’s close, or there about’s to being a top forward. I didn’t share this opinion a couple of weeks ago but I’ve paid it some thought. I’m glad he’s our striker.

Dare we risk getting (too) carried away because I’m pretty sure 90 percent of these words being typed are the result of an overdoes of positive hormones. Arsenal rarely dish it out with the intensity we attacked Liverpool, and now that we have, perhaps people will start reassessing their thoughts on Arsenal. Can we really be the same old Arsenal? We’re second in the league. We’re playing for an FA Cup for the second year running. We’ve just signed Alexis bloody Sanchez and he’s barely begun his Arsenal career and is already favourite to land player of the year.

Look, we can’t even find room in the first eleven for Chamberlain,Theo or Wilshere. That’s ridiculous. And then there’s Mezut Ozil, our record singing, who has just silenced critics and managed to be awarded Man of the Match by Sky Sports News. That’ some spooky stuff right there.

It seems to be all fitting into place a little too easily. Much like Ozil’s football vision. He really is an exquisite footballer. Every single first touch he has moves his body into a forward position. It’s impeccable. It’s the reason he always finds the pass that creates chances, he’s created time to see the picture based entirely on his first touch and body shape. Then it’s a matter of a perfectly weighted pass, which he executes with ease. Did you see his heat map? Don’t sit there and tell me he’s lazy. He’s effective whilst remaining invisible to pundits. What’s not to love.

He basically makes them look stupid week in week out. It’s hardly Ozil’s fault that people are too dull to recognise his genius. After a rapturous Bellerin goal, Ozil spun and won a free kick. He picked the ball up. He looked at the goal. The commentator did that thing where he talks, said Ozil’s been practising free kicks – amazingly the facts were accurate, just like the free kick. Frankly, I don’t buy into this ‘It was a keeper error’ malarkey, because I’m certain that’s a futile attempt to darken Arsenal’s blinding spot light. That was Ozil’s big contribution in a big game, a pin point free kick. I would have given him Man of the Match anyway. He controls games without making a big fuss about it – that’s his talent. That is the real Mezut Ozil. He’s the unseen sniper. The opposition will barely notice him but they’ll be scratching their heads as to why the’re finding the game so difficult.

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