PL: Arsenal vs Everton | September 23rd | KO: 16:00 BST | Sky Sports

[TakeChillPill]

Great result, Everton are a solid team.

People complaining about Özil. the truth we don't have technically good enough players to play that way. You need every player to be comfortable on the ball.

When you compare the technical, one touch passing ability of say (playing as LW/LWF), Rosicky, Nasri, Song, Whilshere, Fabregas to then Xhaka, Ramesy, Auba, Mikhi, Iwobi . We just aren't good enough.

Our strength is in our counter attacking! we saw that today and on Thursday night.

 

[ptrcopp]

You can't say 'balls' on TV? PC Britain gone mad

At some point last week it was said by a pundit.

 

[HollandGooner]

It could have been a draw yesterday we really need to level up.
Ramsey deserves to be on the bench what does he actually offers atm?

 

[Big Poppa]

Can you give an example today of Özil ducking out of a challenge?

I don't know how anyone who watched that game couldn't see that he was waiting for the ball to come to him more than forcefully battling for it.

If there's somewhere I can get the full 90 minute action I'll pick out the examples.

 

[freeglennhelder2]

Özil doesn’t look at peace to me, his demeanour has worsened since the World Cup and now he mannerisms constantly remind me of Arshavins final season. As our key player, his performances have been off and I distinctly remember a non-tackle incident the other poster is talking about as it was really frustrating at the time, Everton were attacking near our box and looking like they were getting back into the game.

To me it doesn’t look like he wants to be here. Hope he gets back to something close to his best!

 

[Big Poppa]

Great result, Everton are a solid team.

People complaining about Özil. the truth we don't have technically good enough players to play that way. You need every player to be comfortable on the ball.

When you compare the technical, one touch passing ability of say (playing as LW/LWF), Rosicky, Nasri, Song, Whilshere, Fabregas to then Xhaka, Ramesy, Auba, Mikhi, Iwobi . We just aren't good enough.

Our strength is in our counter attacking! we saw that today and on Thursday night.

I don't know how this got framed into an Özil witch hunt.

Put simply, Emery is trying to get this team playing a certain way and that requires playing with more intensity from the front than we did under Wenger.

Every single player has to be more aggressive, and in my opinion, besides Sokratis, Nacho, Torreira and Iwobi when he came on - many of our other players were hesitant. The evidence was the number of times Everton advanced into our box with ease.

Özil for me was one of the prime culprits. Not the only culprit. I'm talking about disrupting the opposition, winning duels in their middle third and further back. Then playing quick, crisp decisive balls forward. Playing the way Emery wants.

With Özil and I've mentioned it before - he only comes alive when the game opens up, once we've scored and the opposition starts losing their discipline. When I see Firmino, Mane etc giving their opponents zero peace at 0-0, that's not ok.

I'm not Iwobi's biggest fan but every time I've seen him this season he's shown that he's stepped up and has been gradually improving his end product.

I was disappointed to see him dropped for players who aren't, in my opinion, doing as much.

 

[vijay]

There is a conscious effort by Emery to make this a team less dependent on Özil and to encourage others to take up responsibility.

The danger of building around Özil is that 1) he can be marked out of the game. 2) he can have an off game/injury 3)the game can get physical and badly refereed and negate Özil's style. 4) Other players just give the ball to Özil and hope for the best.

So its not a bad decision to build the team deliberately sidelining Özil, and if needed then move Özil front and centre. Also it creates a system where someone can fill in for Özil and still the system works. The previous system worked when we had Santi, and so had one magician available to replace another. Ever since he left, the system has broken down often as Özil alone has shouldered the creative load.

 

[Jae]

I don't know how anyone who watched that game couldn't see that he was waiting for the ball to come to him more than forcefully battling for it.

If there's somewhere I can get the full 90 minute action I'll pick out the examples.

There was at least two occasions in that game where the ball was loose and he was in a 50/50.

He had his chance to put a strong challenge and win possession back, instead he just sticks a customary limp leg out and gets nowhere near the ball.

I actually said to myself during one of them "I'd of f*ckin snapped him in half there." That's what you get with Özil though.

 

[Fewtch]

There is a conscious effort by Emery to make this a team less dependent on Özil and to encourage others to take up responsibility.

The danger of building around Özil is that 1) he can be marked out of the game. 2) he can have an off game/injury 3)the game can get physical and badly refereed and negate Özil's style. 4) Other players just give the ball to Özil and hope for the best.

So its not a bad decision to build the team deliberately sidelining Özil, and if needed then move Özil front and centre. Also it creates a system where someone can fill in for Özil and still the system works. The previous system worked when we had Santi, and so had one magician available to replace another. Ever since he left, the system has broken down often as Özil alone has shouldered the creative load.

Deliberately sidelining your best player so you can get more out of your crap ones. What an absolutely genius 4D chess move. Pep should do the same with KDB tbh

 

[HBL]

We were terrible for 55 minutes yesterday, starting games so slowly at the minute. However, I’m loving the fact that we’re managing to grind our results even when we aren’t playing well. Hopefully we can get the 12 points in the next four games, which is very achievable. Not convinced by Ramsey at 10, could possibly try a Ramsey/Torreira pivot with Özil at 10 or Ramsey on the right/bench. Then again Özil hasn’t really done much this season.

Cech was brilliant yesterday, my player ratings would be:

Cech - 9
Bellerin - 7
Mustafi - 6
Holding - 7
Nacho - 7
Xhaka - 6
Torreira - 6
Özil - 6
Ramsey - 6
Auba - 7
Lacazette - 8

Iwobi - 7
Wekbeck - 6

 

[Mo Britain]

Özil doesn’t look at peace to me, his demeanour has worsened since the World Cup and now he mannerisms constantly remind me of Arshavins final season. As our key player, his performances have been off and I distinctly remember a non-tackle incident the other poster is talking about as it was really frustrating at the time, Everton were attacking near our box and looking like they were getting back into the game.

To me it doesn’t look like he wants to be here. Hope he gets back to something close to his best!

Despite the result he slumped off at the end and didn't even acknowledge the crowd. Something's brewing there.

 

[ThlRama]

It seems to me that Özil has upped his defensive game. Of course it would take a lot of time for him to adapt fully, so the criticism feels a bit strange right now.

 

[Mo Britain]

We could not only have drawn, we could have lost this game. If Everton had scored first, and they had their chances, we wouldn't have won this. We were second best in the first-half. In the end a good result although one you would have expected us to get and a clean sheet at last.

However we won and when we scored the team suddenly came to life. Cech, for all the criticisms he's had, kept us in this. Lacazette worked extremely hard and scored a cracking goal, Auba wasn't far behind. The full-backs had a good game but Bellerin is always in danger of being stranded. Torreira is always stopping attacks before they developed, just what we hoped he would do. Glad he started at last. Iwobi looked full of beans when he came on.

Concerns. Özil looks out of sorts. Ramsey is all over the place, often at centre-forward which is great when we are counter-attacking but not so great when our midfield is being overrun. I imagine Emery is giving him this licence but it has to stop, with Auba on the left, Özil his usual self and Ramsey out of position we will be ruthlessly exposed by better teams. Yesterday there were many occasions when we had five at the back and five up front, with no midfield at all.

 

[YeahBee]

It could have been a draw yesterday we really need to level up.
Ramsey deserves to be on the bench what does he actually offers atm?

Apart from the assists to the goals?

 

[celestis]

It seems to me that Özil has upped his defensive game. Of course it would take a lot of time for him to adapt fully, so the criticism feels a bit strange right now.

Think you nailed it , also you have 3 guys in the front playing out of position takes a bit to get used to .

 

[progman07]

There is a conscious effort by Emery to make this a team less dependent on Özil and to encourage others to take up responsibility.

The danger of building around Özil is that 1) he can be marked out of the game. 2) he can have an off game/injury 3)the game can get physical and badly refereed and negate Özil's style. 4) Other players just give the ball to Özil and hope for the best.

So its not a bad decision to build the team deliberately sidelining Özil, and if needed then move Özil front and centre. Also it creates a system where someone can fill in for Özil and still the system works. The previous system worked when we had Santi, and so had one magician available to replace another. Ever since he left, the system has broken down often as Özil alone has shouldered the creative load.

Now I understand why Özil positions himself in a way he rarely receives the ball. He lets other less experienced, lower quality, lower paid players take responsibility.

I'm very sad about Özil to be honest, after the summer he has had I expected him to be extra motivated to prove the haters wrong, but I don't see any fire. Any big moment, big game and he disappears entirely.

 

[progman07]

Apart from the assists to the goals?

If your point is that Ramsey does have end product, I agree, but the two goals were barely down to him - one was a moment of brillance from Laca, the other was lucky gameplay. The problem isn't end product with Ramsey, but that when he doesn't score or assist, he doesn't offer near enough nowadays, especially in the number 10 position.

Maybe if we switched him with Özil, and ask him play a bit more defensively, we would be more successful overall. I do believe they have the potential to perform a lot better, but in the last 1-2 years we have not found the best way to employ them.

 

[Gursha]

Özil doesn’t look at peace to me, his demeanour has worsened since the World Cup and now he mannerisms constantly remind me of Arshavins final season. As our key player, his performances have been off and I distinctly remember a non-tackle incident the other poster is talking about as it was really frustrating at the time, Everton were attacking near our box and looking like they were getting back into the game.

To me it doesn’t look like he wants to be here. Hope he gets back to something close to his best!

1 Big problem with him.
And its Ramsey. This spoiled player thinks he can hold the club ransom and actually put his terms, i feel its like, "put me 10 or i wont sign for sure".
Cause you dont make one of the worlds greatest passers and vision player out wide for Aaron ****ing Ramsey....

Everytime we looked dangerous was when Özil drifted to the middle to orchestrate the attack.

As of now, since the start of the season all Ramsey done was run, and be farther up the pitch than our strikers...

Really pisses me off that we moved Özil to the wing for Ramsey, Ramsey is a cm, end of discussion.
No need for us to try and please his wishes so he stays... its like walcott, the guy is a winger and suddenly decided he want to be ST, and he sucked at it. If he doesnt want to stay we dont really need him here with the emergence of guendouzi. Torreria, Xhaka, Guendouzi, elneny as a cone once a while, maybe buy another promising midfielder at Jan.

#MakeOzil10Again

 

[Mo Britain]

If your point is that Ramsey does have end product, I agree, but the two goals were barely down to him - one was a moment of brillance from Laca, the other was lucky gameplay. The problem isn't end product with Ramsey, but that when he doesn't score or assist, he doesn't offer near enough nowadays, especially in the number 10 position.

Maybe if we switched him with Özil, and ask him play a bit more defensively, we would be more successful overall. I do believe they have the potential to perform a lot better, but in the last 1-2 years we have not found the best way to employ them.

I don't think we can afford to have both Özil and Ramsey playing a free role. Even with a solid player like Torreira on the pitch the midfield will be too thinly spread.

 

[GoonerBoy19]

This team is improving, on the positive note we are getting points even after playing one half poorly which have been the trend recently. The game was fine apart from individual mistakes which we would end up paying for against quality opposition.

Mustafi is making too many mistakes per game. Xhaka, Ramsey also have to improve.