Arsenal: ‘One-mind’ Mesut Ozil has nowhere else to turn

Arsenal now have the complete, undivided attention of Mesut Ozil, and as he has nowhere left to turn, do we get his best now?

There has been a lot of chatter about how Mesut Ozil plays better for Germany than the does at Arsenal. It’s an unflattering discussion to have, and it’s something that I wish we never had to talk about again.

And we won’t. Because Ozil has announced that he is retiring from international football because of racism and disrespect following the World Cup struggles of Germany.

Ozil was caught in a crossfire from his picture with the Turkish president, which didn’t pair well with Germany’s failure to get out of the group stages. Even though it shouldn’t have been an issue at all. The fans needed a scapegoat and they wrongly chose Ozil, who actually did exactly what he had always done – create chances.

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The fact that his teammates were unable to finish for him was hardly his fault. It is the same argument his faithful apologists among Gooners pointed to (and continue to point to) when he struggled with consistency early on.

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Moving on from the politics behind the announcement, let’s talk about what this might mean for Arsenal. Because I think it does make a difference.

Especially seeing as how he only has one mind now – the mind of a Gunner. His years in the international spotlight are well and truly behind him. Ideally, that will mean that the best possible Mesut Ozil will come out every time. There won’t be anything held back (if there ever was anything) because this is his sole canvas. There is nowhere to turn to if there is a poor performance at the club level.

Which, as mentioned, sounds like it should be a motivating factor to get the best out of him. Fans at the Emirates aren’t going to have any hatred for him. They never have. Frustrations, sure, but never anything malicious.

The only potential drawback is if this void in his life remains unfilled. If his experiences in the World Cup were just too much for him, then yeah, it certainly could cause a problem. But until we get back into the swing of the season, we won’t get a good enough idea to figure it out.

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It’s unfortunate that Ozil is retiring under such circumstances, especially after the glory he found just four years ago in Brazil. Hopefully he can find satisfaction in his successes at the Emirates.