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Arsenal needed Mesut Ozil at his best in this one, and while they didn’t get it, they got the next best thing – an Ozil that wanted to be at his best.
After seeing Mesut Ozil dazzle for Arsenal against Leicester City, and then seeing him subsequently fall flat on his face against Crystal Palace, I had no clue what was going to happen against Liverpool.
Before the match, I said that he was at a moment in his career where hew as facing down the headlights of a speeding train. He had to move one way or the other, but it was hard to say what was actually going to happen because he’s been so unpredictable.
Well, the many moods of Mesut Ozil struck again against Liverpool.
The German was not at his best. He was not highly influential, like he was against the Foxes. he also wasn’t a ghost, like he was against Crystal Palace. But he also wasn’t a detriment to the club in any way.
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He was positive, that’s for sure. Even it he wasn’t at his best, he was a positive impact on the match and that’s because, while he wasn’t at his best, he definitely wanted to be at his best, and he played the game as if he was on a constant quest to find his best self.
Which resulted in him working really hard to win back the ball and turning the play around. I don’t think I have ever seen Ozil work this hard. He was pressuring right up to the keeper and defending all the way into our box. And when he had room to run, man, did he sprint.
It may be the first time where Ozil was clearly not his sharpest, but he wasn’t willing to let the match pass him by. He wanted to find his best form and he tried all he could, he just wasn’t at his usual creative best. Maybe the pace of the game was too quick for him, who knows.
One thing I do know is that Ozil reacted to being taken off against Palace before he wanted to and he was rewarded for reacting by getting the full 90 against Liverpool.
It’s a day for turning corners, and Mesut Ozil may well have turned one as well. Let’s see what happens next time he’s out there, because I reckon it’s going to be something pretty special.