Arsenal Vs Brighton: So, Mesut Ozil wasn’t the solution

Earlier this season, Arsenal supporters demanded that Mesut Ozil be reinstated to the team. Since that time, the Gunners have not won a game. Maybe he wasn’t the solution after all.

Former Arsenal head coach Unai Emery did not like creative players who did not work hard. As a head coach who naturally veered towards a defensive approach, one that valued structure, discipline and industry, those players that are more creative and unpredictable on the spectrum did not suit Emery’s style.

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This was most evident by his treatment of Mesut Ozil, who is perhaps the greatest example of a creative, ingenious player who does not work very hard. There are moments and matches that make Ozil look like a truly special footballer. He is capable of rare pieces of skill, unique passes and tremendous creativity. But his talent is belied by his production, and Emery wanted a productive player, not a gifted one.

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Under Emery, however, Arsenal were desperately short of attacking skill. They struggled to create chances, relied on the clinical brilliance of their centre-forwards to routinely snatch goals from seemingly out of nothing, and did not create vast numbers of chances, which is a much more sustainable way of building an offensively successful team.

This, somewhat justifiably, led to fans demanding that Ozil be reinstated, an obsession focused on a 4-2-3-1 formation with Ozil surrounded by the pacy outlets of Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. In theory, it seems like a nice plan, but in the modern game where systems and strategy are more important than individual skill and cohesion and connection wins games, not fleeting moments, this tactical approach was always going to struggle.

And the problem was not the system. Or the players. Or even the attack-minded approach. Rather, it is Ozil. He simply does not suit modern football. While Emery’s overly cautious attitude cost him his job, his handling of Ozil was reasonable: the German did not deserve to play, and since his reinstation, he has proven why.

Ozil has only two assists on the year. One was a brilliant backheel in his initial return, the 5-5 draw with Liverpool in the EFL Cup. His second assist came on Thursday night against Brighton. It was a corner that Alexandre Lacazette looped into the far corner. He is yet to score. They are not the number of an elite attacking midfielder.

Dig a little deeper, and the statistics are slightly more encouraging. He has actually created 15 chances in the Premier League season. Of players who have played more than 500 minutes, only six players have created more chances per 90 minutes than Ozil. These are good numbers, right, suggesting that it is his teammates who are limiting his impact?

Well, no, not really. Of these 15 assists, 12 have come from set-pieces, ten from corners and two from freekicks. There is something to be said for his delivery from dead balls, which has been excellent this season, but it is not enough to justify his inclusion. He does not provide enough in open play.

And this is before considering all of his usual shortcomings: his laziness, lack of defensive awareness, the unwillingness to press, the unhinged balance of the team that his inclusion causes. Because of these problems, Ozil’s play with the ball must do that much more to justify his value. And so far, he isn’t doing enough.

I am being a little facetious here. I have defended other players’ poor performances because of the situation they are in. Now I am doing the opposite for Ozil. That seems unfair, and to an extent, it is. I am sure the Ozil fanboys will be quick to jump on this point. But the overarching criticism remains: Ozil does not do enough to merit inclusion, nevermind his £350,000-per-week wages.

Put simply, Ozil was not the solution. He never was in the first place and he never will be. The quicker Arsenal move on, the better, even if it means letting him leave for nothing.