Arsenal: Mesut Ozil attaining a seemingly unattainable title

Mesut Ozil looked like he was just treading water at Arsenal, waiting for the end, but given the title that no one thought possible, he is damn near attaining it.

Arsenal’s ongoing questions regarding Mesut Ozil have spurred on a needed conversation centered on one big question – how much do we need the German maestro? There are only two ways you can look at it. Either you think he’s vital and we should lock him down or you think he’s not and don’t mind him leaving.

I have always been of the latter school of thought. Which is why when Robert Pires came out and called Ozil a “warrior,” I had myself a chuckle. There are lots of things I would call Ozil, some good and some bad. I find him more of an artist than a warrior.

But lo and behold, these past two matches, Ozil has proven himself a fighter and he is flirting with the title that I thought far from attainable – a warrior.

Arsenal’s attack was stymied quite a bit against Swansea City, particularly early on. It’s the kind of game that, as Troy Deeney puts it, requires “cojones” and, to borrow from Pires, a “warrior” mentality. These are the kinds of matches, the tough ones to break down, that I often see Ozil struggling and getting pushed off the ball and failing to link much together.

But Ozil stepped up in a big way and while it may not have looked as flashy and pretty as it did against Everton, when he was slicing and dicing the Toffees defense for the fun of it. His goal and assist were both quite resounding while the one at Swansea was pretty understated, like his overall performance.

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Generally speaking, when Ozil is poor, it’s obvious. When he’s stellar, it’s equally obvious. Which is why I think Swansea was so special. He wasn’t stellar or poor and neither was obvious. He was quietly effective, which is what I’ve been wanting to see from Ozil for so long, this solid, reliable success without having to be outstanding.

Ozil created another five chances against Swansea, adding to his ludicrous tally of 13 chances created in his past two matches. The two matches directly following his scapegoating against Watford, where he was accused of being a huge part of the problem by many, myself included.

I always highlight Sead Kolasinac for his ability to strike a fine line between poor and excellent and it looks like Ozil might have discovered that middle ground of steady effectiveness too.

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Now the trick becomes finding how to get to that steady middle ground rather than crawling through the mud.

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