Arsenal: Going round in Mesut Ozil-Dennis Bergkamp circles

Mesut Ozil was compared to Dennis Bergkamp. He is again being linked to the Arsenal great. When will we stop going round in circles?

Ever since he arrived at Arsenal on deadline day of the 2013 transfer window, Mesut Ozil has been compared to one man and one man only: Dennis Bergkamp.

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The stylistic similarities are clear. They both play in an attacking, creative role. Their touch, skill on the ball, and slicing passing are exceptional. They are renowned for their attacking ingenuity as much as they are their goals. They like to be the creative fulcrum of the team, the beating heart of every attacking move.

But while they may play in a similar manner, they have rarely produced like one.

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Where Bergkamp worked tirelessly to be the best that he can be, famously revolutionising the Arsenal culture when he arrived in 1996 thanks to his incessant work ethic on the training ground, Ozil is anything but. Lazy, greedy, unmoved by defeat, the German, while obviously wanting to win, is not prepared to put the work in to get it.

Nevertheless, that has not stepped the two being repeatedly compared to one another. And this week, it was the turn of Ray Parlour:

"“If Mesut is going to play a part in getting Arsenal back in the top four, then the club should keep him. But he has got to work hard. I played with Dennis Bergkamp and he very rarely had a poor game – you always knew what you would get out of him – and that is what Mesut needs to do, too. The best players are consistent and I want to see that from Mesut. He is a quality player but he goes in and out of games, and it could be argued that he goes missing in the big matches. That is when you need your top men to perform. He should have that in his locker. He has won the World Cup and starred for massive clubs. He just needs to show that desire to play for his team-mates and show more energy.”"

Now, I understand exactly where Parlour is coming from here. It is the very same argument that I used to make in favour of Ozil not very long ago. He should be able to play consistently, with commitment and application, showing effort and desire. But he never does. Six years into his time at the Emirates, it is safe to say that the ‘if’ that Parlour highlights is never going to be satisfied.

Not even his greatest detractors can deny that ‘if’ Ozil were to play with the determination and application of some of his teammates, he would be an invaluable piece of the team. His talent is undeniable. And ‘if’ Ozil was to work as Bergkamp did, he could surely have the same impact as the brilliant Dutchman.

But I think it is clear who Ozil now is. There is no ‘if’ anymore. That argument has been made for many years, but now, after six years of evidence, it is plain to see that Ozil will never be someone different. He will always be a little lazy, apathetic, disinterested and inconsistent. That is just who he is and he has proven that he is unwilling to change it.

Saying ‘if’ with Ozil is futile. We are just going round in circles. So let’s stop comparing him to Dennis Bergkamp. The two are completely different, even with Ozil’s inexorable talent.