Mesut Özil: Time to Move Ön?

[Nemetoss]

He's so much more talented than any of our players, it's insane. Sometimes I see someone in the team do something particularly skillful, and I try to see who that was, and it always turns out to be Mezut. His first touch, his turning radius, how crisp his passes are, how naturally he dribbles. He's such a pleasure to watch.

 

[TakeChillPill]

struggled in the first halve, partly because it didnt seem very clear what he was suppose to do.

Second half he drifted more. maybe Emery told him to play his natural game. but played more like a No.10 and started popping up everywhere the ball was. Plus Cardiff stopped pressing, which helped.

let's hope he can build upon this performance.

 

[A_G]

Shunting Özil out wide to accommodate Ramsey at #10 when the latter hasn't signed a new contract is lunacy. Why build the team in a certain way when there's no guarantee he'll even be here next season? All you're doing is marginalising one of the best players at the club for someone who 1) isn't as good in that role and 2) could start negotiating with foreign clubs in four months.

 

[celestis]

Shunting Özil out wide to accommodate Ramsey at #10 when the latter hasn't signed a new contract is lunacy. Why build the team in a certain way when there's no guarantee he'll even be here next season? All you're doing is marginalising one of the best players at the club for someone who 1) isn't as good in that role and 2) could start negotiating with foreign clubs in four months.

Yeah agree , it's really messing with our on the ball dynamics , it's wierd because Guendouzi , Ramsey and Laca at times were in the spaces usually occupied by Özil . 2nd half Özil got on the ball and everyone seemed to click into gear.

 

[Fewtch]

Shunting Özil out wide to accommodate Ramsey at #10 when the latter hasn't signed a new contract is lunacy. Why build the team in a certain way when there's no guarantee he'll even be here next season? All you're doing is marginalising one of the best players at the club for someone who 1) isn't as good in that role and 2) could start negotiating with foreign clubs in four months.

We don’t have anyone who can do this as consistently as he does from a central position.
Maybe Emery should try a 433 with Torreira at the base and Mesut/Ramsey in front of him if he has to play both

 

[Oh-Zeal]

Maybe a 4-3-3 with him on the right drifting in causing overloads might do?

In attack

Aubameyang__________Lacazette
__________________________________Ozil
_________Ramsey
________________________Elneny
_______________Torreira

Bellerin can carry on with his freedom on the right providing width, with elneny being discipline to cover on the right hand side since Bellerin and Özil are poor when coming back.

Only downfall is Mkhitharyan loses out. Think in Elneny, a more discipline Ramsey and Torreira there's more legs and lungs. There's a bit of control too.

 

[vijay]

I am surprised by Lacazette at times. Amazing deft touch.

Özil though, its been an honour and a privilege to watch him play. time just slows down when he starts to influence a game.... i always think of him as Neo

 

[El Granit-Coq]

It would be interesting to see Özil in an advanced CM position (in a 3) with a natural winger on the right... Would require both Torreira and Guendouzi to be played though as they both seem to fit our system very well. Ramsey lacks discipline or his instructions are detrimental to the team. He has his uses but someone in the Ramsey thread summarised him pretty well. Simply an interesting thought, doubt it would happen.

Overall, we need to play our best players where they've proven most effective. PEA and Lacazette have to definitely start together and Özil needs to be played as a 10. Even though he always has licence to roam, with Ramsey playing so high up the pitch, that freedom is significantly limited. Fit Ramsey around our best players not our best players around him. The PEA, Özil and Lacazette combo has proven deadly under Wenger... Surely Emery sees that our attack is most effective when all three are on the pitch unhinged.

 

[KrissKringle]

He's so much more talented than any of our players, it's insane.

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

 

[CurryFlavoured]

Shunting Özil out wide to accommodate Ramsey at #10 when the latter hasn't signed a new contract is lunacy. Why build the team in a certain way when there's no guarantee he'll even be here next season? All you're doing is marginalising one of the best players at the club for someone who 1) isn't as good in that role and 2) could start negotiating with foreign clubs in four months.

It's a clear plan from Emery and people predicted this when he was announced. He didn't really play with a #10 at previous teams and prefers 3 legitimate midfielders in that area of the field. I can't say that I disagree with him but I would have less of a problem with it if Ramsey could release the ball quicker and cut out the dilly dallying.

While the midfield is less of a sieve, the knock on effect defensively is that Bellerin (who's already an inept defender) was completely isolated at times on the right flank while Cardiff's LB regularly pushed forward. Özil is essentially a forward when we don't have the ball, people can quote his KM/game statistics and I will admit that he has improved his work rate but he still has no idea about very basic defending.

As far as the contract thing goes, I agree that it's weird and a bit disconcerting but I guess that Emery ultimately wants to play the players in the positions that fit his system.

 

[ceadsearc]

In the first half they weren’t giving him the ball. Özil can’t do anything without the ball. Or even if they gave him the ball it was in areas where he can’t advance the play eg there wasn’t a forwArd pass he could do to build an attacking phase.

In the second half he dropped deeper to collect the ball from the central midfielders eg xhaka and guendozi and that really helped.

It would be useful to have a right winger which can give Mesut an option to pass to on the right. Bellerin usually takes that role now it seems.

 

[Sniper Mik]

Just look at the difference in the 2nd half when he went more central from a deeper position. He is really good at progressing us up the pitch with his technical security on the ball and intelligent distribution. Having Torreira next to him being the destroyer, I think this could be a viable option against the lesser teams.

 

[Mark Tobias]

I am surprised by Lacazette at times. Amazing deft touch.

Özil though, its been an honour and a privilege to watch him play. time just slows down when he starts to influence a game.... i always think of him as Neo

Honestly not a bad analogy. Neo was highly doubted too..

 

[TriniGunner]

Shunting Özil out wide to accommodate Ramsey at #10 when the latter hasn't signed a new contract is lunacy. Why build the team in a certain way when there's no guarantee he'll even be here next season? All you're doing is marginalising one of the best players at the club for someone who 1) isn't as good in that role and 2) could start negotiating with foreign clubs in four months.

The real question...why are we continuing to play midfield players as wingers. Why can't we just play...you know...WINGERS!!!

 

[Dutch D]

We don't have any.

 

[say yes]

I think he’s been pretty disappointing so far this season.

Where’s the end product gone? Had a great second half against Cardiff dropping a bit deeper but that’s never going to be what he’s in the team for. Seems to lack that spark in the final third these days.

Really need Emery to find a way of re-igniting him.

 

[dashsnow17]

The real question...why are we continuing to play midfield players as wingers. Why can't we just play...you know...WINGERS!!!

We don't have a single winger in the squad. We have four players who want to play centre forward (Auba, Laca, Welbeck, Nketiah) and four players who want to play no. 10 (Özil, Ramsey, Mkhi, Iwobi). That is our attack. Some of those players are versatile, but it's imperfect and imbalanced by nature.

 

[Lidl_Reed]

Kroos showing his true face.

Looks like Özil was right about being German when you win

 

[krackpot]

Kroos showing his true face.

Looks like Özil was right about being German when you win

Dunno, maybe he is being prissy. Even Pep has dropped him.

 

[Lidl_Reed]

Dunno, maybe he is being prissy. Even Pep has dropped him.

How many times do you see teammates come out and say this in press conferences?

Pep is playing his 60 million winger. Sane will play games sooner or later.