Arsenal and Mesut Ozil: As long as the players like him…

Nacho Monreal has launched to the defence of Mesut Ozil, his style on the pitch and his absence through illness against West Ham United. Does it really matter what everyone thinks about the Arsenal midfielder as long as his teammates and manager like him?

Mesut Ozil is a lightning rod for criticism and scrutiny. The Arsenal midfielder is difficult to understand and evaluate. His talent is such that he often hints at greatness, only to produce well but never quite at the level that his natural ability suggests he is capable of.

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This disparity in quality and production is what, I believe, leaves many to heavily question Ozil’s attitude, his performances away from home in the big games, his languid, lethargic body language, his apparent disinterest.

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There is a growing public distaste for Ozil — or at least disappoint of him as he repeatedly fails to deliver on his talent. That has come to a head in recent weeks. Two poor performances against Manchester City and Chelsea, as well as being hauled off midway through the latter, curiously missing West Ham’s trip to the Emirates amidst reports of a bust-up between him and Unai Emery, and then another quiet display upon his return, it has hardly been a positive period for Ozil.

But Nacho Monreal, amid all this criticism and furore, has leapt to his defence. Speaking to the London Evening Standard, Monreal revealed that Ozil is not the type of person to ‘go up to a player and grab him by the throat’ and rejected the reports claiming that Ozil and Emery had a rift:

"“People have been a bit unfair with him. He is a very famous player and, obviously, people love talking about him. Recently, it is always bad things. Like last time, he was sick and that’s why he didn’t play. People started to invent that he had a problem with the manager. It wasn’t like that. He got a cold, he was sick, that’s it. That’s why he didn’t play.”"

When I read Monreal’s comments, I could not help but think that Ozil must be an extremely popular figure in the dressing room, someone who is respected by his peers and whose influence on matches is understood and valued, even with some of the other difficulties that his presence brings — this may be a little naive. Monreal is hardly going to slag off his teammate in the media.

And that got me thinking. It doesn’t really matter what the fans or pundits or anyone say or think about Ozil. As long as he is popular, liked and respected within the dressing room, by his teammates, his coaches and his manager, then nothing else really has any significance; as long as the other players in the team want to play with Ozil and recognise his impact, then what the media may say about him has little to no bearing whatsoever.

For Ozil, all that matters is that Emery continues to trust him and play him and that his teammates continue to pass to him and to make runs for him. Whether that is actually the case is perhaps another question. But, for now, as long as his teammates and coaches value him, then that is more than good enough for me.