Arsenal: Did Mesut Ozil Even Play?

Arsenal were hammered 5-1 by Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. There was one player who was particularly anonymous throughout the 90 minutes: Mesut Ozil.

Bayern Munich were phenomenal in their 5-1 hammering of Arsenal on Wednesday night. While much of the English media will focus on the failures of the Gunners, and rightly so, great credit must be given to the Germans for their suffocating performance, both in stifling any of their visitor’s attacks and in controlling the game through utter domination of the ball.

The duo of Philip Lahm and Arjen Robben were at their fluid best, with the first two goals both coming down the right flank, Thiago Alcantara was majestic in a free-roaming central attacking role, dictating play with a metronomic creativity and Robert Lewandowski was the stereotypical, overpowering number nine, both in his exquisitely headed goal and his hold up play throughout the 90 minutes.

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However, for all the praise that Bayern are deserving of, there was one key area where Arsenal were let down by their main man. With Xabi Alonso and Arturo Vidal sitting deep, allowing both the aforementioned Lahm and David Alaba to bomb forward at every opportunity, the duo were able to orchestrate attacks from deep areas with ample time and space, initiating attacks under no pressure whatsoever, able to pick the incisive, forward-thinking passes in between the Arsenal back four and midfield.

The job to prevent them from controlling proceedings in as dominant a fashion as they did, rested on the shoulders of Mesut Ozil. The midfielder was utterly uninterested. He lacked any semblance of effort in ever pressing the ball, never chased down the Bayern ball, never played with any energy or intensity and was seemingly happy to let the game pass by while he stood there and waved.

Ozil was lazy, lethargic, lacklustre. Both in and out of possession. Contrast his display to the busy Thiago and it is remarkable to see. The Spaniard was at the heart of Bayern’s incisive attacking play, prodding and probing the Arsenal defence with great precision and panache. Ozil, on the other hand, was only noticeable by the trail of space he left in front of him with which Bayern midfielders would stride into untouched.

His role for the opening goal was not much better either. Shadowing the run of Lahm down the right flank but taking an inside position – at this point, he was occupying the correct space – Ozil simply watched as Robben cut inside on his left foot and curled a wonderful shot into the far corner, a staple move in the Dutchman’s repertoire.

Next: Arsenal Vs Bayern Munich: 5 Things We Learned

It was a truly horrendous performance from Ozil, one of a growing number in recent weeks. His anonymity led me to question whether he even played at all. Perhaps it’s time to move on.

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