Arsenal: Mesut Ozil kidding himself and the fans

Mesut Ozil has stated that he can withstand the criticism, arguing that he is giving his all. The German is kidding himself and the Arsenal faithful.

The future of Mesut Ozil is a narrative that has engulfed what has been a turbulent, and ultimately disappointing, season for both the German and the club. Arsenal are entering a summer in which many important decisions will have to be made, one of them being the future of their star attacking midfielder.

Related Story: Arsenal Vs Southampton: Predicted starting XI

Rewind just six months ago, and the suggestion that Ozil could leave in the summer, while utterly realistic, was one that haunted the dreams of the Arsenal faithful. He was at the peak of his creative powers, prowling throughout his domain, owning the pitch and dominating his opposition.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

But since then, the subtlety in his movement has trangressed to laziness; he no longer floats over the ground, instead he trudges; his sparkling, incisive mind seems dimmed by defensive duties that he is fulfilling with minimal effort. That has led many to heavily criticise his performances and his effort levels.

Rightly or wrongly, Ozil is seen as a lazy, apathetic player who is disinterested in the outcome, and is unwilling to work hard to improve the fate of the team. To that, though, Ozil has a strong rebuttal. In an interview with Sky Sports, Ozil stated that only the opinion of his manager has any significance, and that he is giving his all to the cause, no matter what others may doubt of him:

"“I’ve played for Real Madrid, I’ve played for Germany and I’ve had praise and criticism throughout my career and it’s only made me stronger. For me what’s most important, as I’ve always said, is the manager’s opinion because when it comes from him you know it’s the truth, be it positive or be it negative. There’s some people that like me and some people that don’t, but I give no worth to those opinions, really. They can have them, but I know what I can do. My stats show that I do give my all and I give my best.”"

Although Ozil himself may state these things, that does not mean they are true. While his movement off of the ball in attacking areas will always be a little lacksidasical and lethargic – the argument of ‘that is simply his style’ does carry some vindication here -, when defending, something that he has had to do more of recently since Arsene Wenger has implemented a counter-attacking 3-4-3 system, he lacks intensity and engery, rarely tracks the overlapping runs of opposing full-backs, does not press with any semblance of urgency and simply does not look interested.

Next: Arsenal Vs Southampton: 5 key players to watch

Ozil is a luxury player. In an attacking, fluid, flree-flowing side, he is a luxury that can be harnassed to bring fluency and rhythm to the side. But when he is need to dig in, show a little resilience and toughness, he is dragged well out of his comfort zone. To say he is giving is all, would be to lie. Even from the man himself.