Arsenal vs Swansea City: Mesut Ozil has a long way to go

Arsenal nation is fawning over the return to form of Mesut Ozil, but there is still a long way for him to go before he’s ‘back’ to where he’s supposed to be.

Arsenal has been waiting some time to see the return of 2015/16 Mesut Ozil, who pitched in 19 assists over the course of the season. Last year wasn’t awful, as he totaled 12 goals and 12 assists through all competitions, which is respectable, but it wasn’t the same Ozil.

This year, we’ve been waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

And waiting.

And finally, against Everton, we saw peak Mesut Ozil. He was flowing across the pitch like a damn genie and every pass sliced a new artery of the Everton defense. As they bled out on the pitch, Ozil head-butted them to death and just like that, it’s like Ozil is the cold-hearted assassin with the ball like he’s always been.

I’m not going to sit here and say I didn’t lap up every minute of his performance like a parched camel, but I’m far from going around the neighborhood announcing the second-coming of Ozil.

There is a saying that I live by and I always have, from back when I used to play sports to now when I cover them. You’ve heard it before. Once is a fluke. Twice is coincidence. Three times is a trend. I can’t think of a more applicable use for that saying.

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Ozil can’t just throw in one amazing performance and expect everything to be forgiven. He has created chances effectively all year – and all his career – but there is more to football than creating chances. Against Everton, he did so much more than that. He flowed, zigged and zagged, he charged and retreated and attacked with determination. It was 2015/16 Ozil in the flesh.

The other problem is that I’m still not sure we know who the real Mesut Ozil of Arsenal is. 2015/16 was heralded as the “real Ozil,” with the previous 18 months just a fluke, but then 2016/17 looked like a murkier version of the “real Ozil” and this year hasn’t been kind to him either.

To me, the reports are inconclusive. We know how fantastic Ozil can be, but we also know how bad he can be. Do we split the difference or hold onto hope that he can be his fantastic self on a regular basis?

Next: 5 Key Players To Watch Vs Swansea

Against Swansea, we will have our first chance to see a follow-up. Everton was an absolute masterclass, and now he’s returning home to face a Swansea City that will most likely take a defensive approach. So let’s see what happens. For the sake of my cynical self, I sure as hell hope he does something marvelous.

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