Mesut Özil: Think This Might Be It For Me(sut)

[musoke]

I hold that same view. In that 2015/2016 season, he wasn't particularly playing well. 2/3 of his assists were set pieces or passes into non-threatening area that the attacker made good use of.
Let's not act like he was dominating games and taking games by the scruff of the neck.
Most of the games I watched in 2015/2016, he was basically average apart from the assists.

My exact take on that 2015/16 season. Özil was a average and padded his assists stats with corners, set pieces, crossese etc. When you watch those assists you hardly see any defense splitting passes.

But the best Özil has played in my opinion was the 2017/18 period before he signed his current contract. That period between end of October to about start of December 2017. He turned into this dominant player i had hopped for when he joined Arsenal.
That months and a bit was the best version of Özil that I have ever seen at Arsenal. To me it was better than that overhyped first half of 2015/16 when he padded up 19 assists.

And remember during those amazing months in 2017 he did not get any assists if I can remember correctly. But everyone acknowledged how well he was playing.

 

[kash2]

Mod Edit: he put you on ignore, I suggest you do the same

 

[Red London]

Yep. So many myths in football . . the high pressing game is modern tactics, leagues are getting harder to win and footballers are so much fitter now. The only thing that's changed football in last 30 years is the huge amount of money coming into the game.

Footballers are fitter now. Back in the 80’s and 90’s there was a massive drinking culture and players would sometimes even turn up hungover or drunk to games. There’s no way that doesn’t effect your fitness (as well as the smoking too). Now players are on special diets and are massively judged for excessive partying or smoking.

The game is more about running these days, I’m sure the players clock more miles per game than ever before.

 

[Pop Tart]

Called Özil a baklava lover.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

I started watching football in the early to mid 90's. If you go back and watch those matches now, which I occasionally do, the pace and quality of those games is light years behind the football being played today. It's so noticeable.

I think if you transported any great team from previous generations to play Liverpool, Bayern etc of today, they'd get taken apart.

Give the great teams of the past the same coaching, nutrition, lifestyle etc as todays teams and they'd probably be as good as anyone today.

Short of a total anomaly like Donald Bradman in cricket, virtually every sport has improved and progressed over the decades in terms of quality, pace, power, technique, coaching etc It's only nostalgia for the past that makes us think otherwise.

As an aside, did anyone see the recent Wenger interview where he pointed out that we are reaching the limits of what we can do to improve players physically and that in his opinion the next step will be to look at the neurology of players and to try to train their brains to make decisions quicker and better. I thought that was fascinating.

 

[Makingtrax]

Footballers are fitter now. Back in the 80’s and 90’s there was a massive drinking culture and players would sometimes even turn up hungover or drunk to games. There’s no way that doesn’t effect your fitness (as well as the smoking too). Now players are on special diets and are massively judged for excessive partying or smoking.

The game is more about running these days, I’m sure the players clock more miles per game than ever before.

How many drank? How much fitter are they today? How many more miles do they clock?

You may be right but there's not much evidence to show it. What we do know is that middle distance running in the 1980s clocked times very similar to day without all the nutrition, science, money going into athletcs.

 

[Red London]

How many drank? How much fitter are they today? How many more miles do they clock?

You may be right but there's not much evidence to show it. What we do know is that middle distance running in the 1980s clocked times very similar to day without all the nutrition, science, money going into athletcs.

I don’t have statistics to back my point up, but I assume that they run more these days and hit closer to their ceiling in terms of fitness.

I would love to see some statistics on average miles covered in the PL now to the English league in the 80’s.

 

[razörist]

My exact take on that 2015/16 season. Özil was a average and padded his assists stats with corners, set pieces, crossese etc. When you watch those assists you hardly see any defense splitting passes.

But the best Özil has played in my opinion was the 2017/18 period before he signed his current contract. That period between end of October to about start of December 2017. He turned into this dominant player i had hopped for when he joined Arsenal.
That months and a bit was the best version of Özil that I have ever seen at Arsenal. To me it was better than that overhyped first half of 2015/16 when he padded up 19 assists.

And remember during those amazing months in 2017 he did not get any assists if I can remember correctly. But everyone acknowledged how well he was playing.

“Padded his stats with corners, set pieces crosses etc“ :rofl:

 

[Football Manager]

He did padded his stats with corners, set pieces crosses

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

I want to carry this thread to the fires of Mordor. Reckon Gary would Gollum his way and stop me though

 

[A_G]

Lol
That’s like blaming a customer for not receiving their mail through the post instead of blaming the delivery man / mail man.

Before you can start blaming a striker then why not look at the people behind him? The midfielders like Özil that are meant to deliver him good service / chances for him to score? No?

Giroud missed a number of sitters in the run-in. Not every one of them came from an Özil pass/cross but there were some great chances in there.

It’s exactly the same catchphrase that you Özil fans have been using to cover for Özil underwhelming performances throughout his time here. “But but, look at the players around Özil. Look at the quality of player behind Özil (Xhaka, Ramsey, Elneny, Flamini, Cazorla etc), they are not world class like those he had a Madrid or in the German national team. They can’t get the ball to Özil. They can’t cover for his defensive and his out of possession fragility’s etc in order to allow him the freedom to do what he does best (Disappear when the going gets tough ). Lol
But you get my gist.

That’s the same tactic I am trying to use to defend Giroud in this scenario.
And remember the same Özil has had Auba and Laca for 3 seasons but we’ve never seen his assists stats going up, they just seem to keep getting even worse each season.

Well obviously if Cazorla and Ramsey are not in the team to link up with him, and are replaced by lesser players it's going to have an impact on his performance. It's not remotely the same thing as Giroud because he missed chances that were created for him, in addition to his general play deteriorating.

And btw you guys are getting really boring with this "Özil fans" and "acolytes" stuff. You'll then play the victim if somebody puts a label on you. Pure hypocrisy.

May be we should now start blaming Auba and Laca for being worse than Giroud.

Right?

You say that like Lacazette doesn't get bashed regularly on here.

 

[musoke]

yeah the turkish immigrant kid who grew up playing in concrete and steel cages would be afraid of anything .. you guys are really disconnected from reality. Adams and Keown would have been on his side not on the side of a ranting mob scurrier like you.

Ozzy from the block. Man from d endz. Badman.
Hope you watched him and Kolasinac taking on those 2 moped gangsters. Remember when ozzy from the block a.k.a (ghetto child) fended off those 2 motorcycle mobsters while Kolasinac barricaded himself in his Mercedes V-Wagon?
Alpha male style..

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Tactics have cycled @celestis is correct, there's nothing new here. And what evidence is there that on average footballers are better technically than in the days of Maradona, Cruyff, Pele etc, there were no stats until recently.

Saying that there hasn’t been significant tactical development over the last 30 years I don’t think correct. Just because people coached pressing in the 80s and 90s and earlier doesn’t mean that how pressing is coached and the tactics behind it haven’t changed.

Regarding technical ability I rely on what I remember seeing since the 70s and there is a world of difference. Nowadays one is surprised to see a player not being able to control a ball with one touch. Back in the day that really wasn’t that common. Of course there were technically good players then also, but they either were individuals or cane from countries that valued that more. Having grown up on English, German and Swedish football I can tell you that none of those leagues were anywhere close to where they are now. **** me was the average technical ability poor in those days!

 

[musoke]

You must be having a laugh, you can not in all seriousness be defending the joke of a finisher called Giroud. His hold up and link play was very good but the man missed so many chances. :rofl:

I am just using the same nonsense excuse you Özil fans have been treating us to since he has been here.
You know, blaming everyone and everything for Özil’s fragility and underperformances.
It’s Girouds fault.
It’s the Central midfielders fault. They are not good enough to get the ball to him.
It’s the defensive midfielder’s fault. They can shield princes Özil.
It’s the managers fault. They can’t get the best out of Özil.
It’s the boards fault, they’ve failed buy players that suit Özil’s style.
It’s this and that’s fault.....

Giroud Is the only striker that was involved in Özil’s best ever Assits season, 2015/16 with (19 assists).
Özil never managed to get 19 assists in the 3 seasons at Madrid when he had the likes of Ronaldo, Higuain and Benzema to assist. And that is when we were being told he was at the peak of his game, was a world class player and Best No10 in the world etc. But only with Giroud did he ever manage to hit 19 assists in a season.
Explain.

Again, if Giroud is the reason Özil has been an underwhelming signing for us then what about Laca and Auba? Özil’s stats have gotten worse since those 2 players joined.

Please explain?

 

[kash2]

Ozzy from the block. Man from d endz. Badman.
Hope you watched him and Kolasinac taking on those 2 moped gangsters. Remember when ozzy from the block a.k.a (ghetto child) fended off those 2 motorcycle mobsters while Kolasinac barricaded himself in his Mercedes V-Wagon?
alfalfa male style..

kindly do not equate keown and adams to motorcycle mobster thieves. there should be a limit to hate and ranting, even for you.

 

[kash2]

I am just using the same nonsense excuse you Özil fans have been treating us to since he has been here.
You know, blaming everyone and everything for Özil’s fragility and underperformances.
It’s Girouds fault.
It’s the Central midfielders fault. They are not good enough to get the ball to him.
It’s the defensive midfielder’s fault. They can shield princes Özil.
It’s the managers fault. They can’t get the best out of Özil.
It’s the boards fault, they’ve failed buy players that suit Özil’s style.
It’s this and that’s fault.....

Giroud Is the only striker that was involved in Özil’s best ever Assits season, 2015/16 with (19 assists).
Özil never managed to get 19 assists in the 3 seasons at Madrid when he had the likes of Ronaldo, Higuain and Benzema to assist. And that is when we were being told he was at the peak of his game, was a world class player and Best No10 in the world etc. But only with Giroud did he ever manage to hit 19 assists in a season.
Explain.

Again, if Giroud is the reason Özil has been an underwhelming signing for us then what about Laca and Auba? Özil’s stats have gotten worse since those 2 players joined.

Please explain?

Wenger. Emery

 

[kash2]

Mod Edit: he put you on ignore, I suggest you do the same

ignoring hate spewing is what got us in this mess in the first place.

 

[GDeep™]

Talking about the past, guys like Vieira, Henry, Shearer etc would rip apart this league.

Look at someone like Bergkamp, he was a big strong tough 6ft striker who was getting kicked all over the pitch, today you wouldn’t be allowed to touch him.

 

[GDeep™]

Nobody in Europe can defend, teams or players. Maybe the game is a harder, in the old days wide players would attack the full back but now wide players are making central runs, a CB today isn’t just marking a more or less static striker.

 

[Tomb Bombadil]

How many drank? How much fitter are they today? How many more miles do they clock?

You may be right but there's not much evidence to show it. What we do know is that middle distance running in the 1980s clocked times very similar to day without all the nutrition, science, money going into athletcs.

I don't have any numbers but if you compare it to 80/90 football for me it seems it has evolved a lot fitness wise. I would say more sprints, more work against the ball. I don't know if they run much more but I would say it's "much" more intensive. I guess this changed in 00er years until today.

And they didn't have this kind of fitness and diet plans + the data from today. So I would say there is evidence but I don't have the hard facts.