Arsenal Vs Southampton: Still not the Mesut Ozil tester

Mesut Ozil returned to Arsenal line-up versus BATE Borisov on Thursday night. He played well. But that was not the test he needed to pass. The same could be said for Sunday’s match against Southampton.

What happens with Mesut Ozil at Arsenal is the major talking point surrounding the club at present. The German, who is the highest-paid player and probably the most gifted player in the squad, has not settled into Unai Emery’s thinking well whatsoever, with his future in north London cast into major doubt.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — BATE Borisov and Mesut Ozil fanboys

Because of his undoubted quality but highly questionable attitude and production, there is a great range of opinion about what should and shouldn’t be done, stemming from those that think the whole team should be built around him to those that just want rid, no matter how.

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Ozil returned to the starting line-up for the first time in four matches in Thursday’s 3-0 win over BATE Borisov, the second match he has started in all of 2019, and looked smooth and controlled. He was not at his absolute best, but there was a clear creative and calming influence that he provided for the rest of the attack that had been previously absent. But home matches against an overmatched BTE Borisov are not the kind of games that Ozil should be judged in.

The issues that Ozil’s critics had with the German were not his inability to pick open a disciplined and deep-lying defence. Even his harshest slighters would concede that he is one of the most creative players in world football, possessing a rare eye for a pass and a brilliant invention of distribution to provide service for his teammates.

Ozil’s shortcomings relate to his performances away from home, his lack of production against the top teams when he is needed most, and his inconsistency and lack of effort, two things that seemingly stem from mental fragilities rather than any technical, tactical or athletic inability.

As the games now come thick and fast, it will be interesting to see how Emery uses Ozil. He stated after the BATE victory that the rotation would continue, with Ozil sometimes used from the start and at other times placed on the bench. But if, say, on Sunday versus Southampton, he does start and he plays at his most scintillating, it is important that Arsenal do not get sucked into the elegance and grace of his display.

Like the tie against Borisov, a home match against Southampton is not the stage where Ozil’s criticisms lie. I will be much more intrigued to see how he fares a week later, away at Spurs in the second North London Derby of the season — incidentally, Arsenal played excellently in the first with Ozil not even in the matchday squad.

I am eager to see what Ozil’s response will be to the challenge that Emery has laid before him. And I really hope that he takes the criticism on board and that it galvanises his play. But dominating against Southampton is not where he will prove his doubters wrong. Sunday’s game is not the real Mesut Ozil tester, not yet, anyway.