Arsenal Vs Liverpool: Mesut Ozil’s Redemption
Mesut Ozil has been vilified for his abject performances in recent weeks. He now has the chance of redemption, as Arsenal travel to Liverpool on Saturday.
The form of Mesut Ozil has been a major debating point of recent weeks. When discussing with my friend the virtues of the German early in the season, he, boldly, proclaimed that the Arsenal midfielder will ‘go missing’ between the months of November and February. He has seemingly been proven right.
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The early season form of the Gunners was sensational. Playing with verve and vibrancy, they pressed with great intensity off of the ball. They hounded, harassed, hustled and harried. They broke with great pace and purpose, they were ruthless in the final third and stifling defensively. It was a well-oiled machine performing at an exquisite level.
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At the centre of it all was Ozil. He was the dictator, the conductor, the orchestrator. The timing of his passes engineered space for his teammates. He was acutely aware of his positioning, drifting into pockets of space, playing cute, little reverse passes, trying to unpick even the tightest of defences. He was utterly wonderful, until about November.
And then, as his form tailed off, so did Arsenal’s. Two undeserved draws against Spurs and Manchester United, followed by two damning losses away to Everton and Manchester City. It was a sour time to be a fan of the North London club. Since then, while the results have been indifferent – a win against Crystal Palace followed by a lucky draw away at Bournemouth – the performances have continued to be sub-standard.
More recently, Ozil has been increasingly criticised. He was anonymous against Chelsea and downright lazy against Bayer Munich. As such, doubts have arisen over whether he is worth a new contract. With his current deal set to enter its final year, his future is far from clear. He is need of some redemption and this weekend provides the perfect opportunity.
On Saturday evening, Arsenal travel to Anfield to face a desperately struggling Liverpool side. Lose to Jurgen Klopp’s team, a team that has won one league game in 2017, and it will be an indictment of this current Wenger team. Ozil, in particular, will be under great scrutiny. He has a worrying tendency to duck the pressure in the big games.
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This is most definitely a big game, one in which Arsenal need Ozil to perform at his most elegant level. The chance for redemption is before him and Ozil cannot afford to spurn it. He must reconjure his early season brilliance just as he needs it most. At least it’s March, eh?