Arsenal: Kevin de Bruyne is everything Mesut Ozil should be

Kevin de Bruyne was magnificent in Manchester City’s dismantling of Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. He is everything that Mesut Ozil isn’t, putting the £350,000-per-week waste to shame.

It was my first game at the Emirates Stadium this season. Tentatively, I bought tickets to see the best team I have ever seen in English football play the worst Arsenal team I have ever seen. It was never going to end well.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — A Christmas Miracle

And at the heart of this disparity between greatness and gawkiness were two players who perfectly embodied the calamity that Arsenal fans sat through on Sunday: the brilliant, effervescent, surging, towering Kevin de Bruyne vs. the anonymous Mesut Ozil whose match highlights consist of him wandering off the pitch and kicking thin air.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

There was a smattering of boos for Ozil as he trudged off the pitch. I was one of them. At half-time, the Emirates rung in harmony with jeers and boos for the team as they trudged into the dressing room, three goals down and with no hope of a comeback. At that point, I did not boo. It felt wrong.

But when it came to Ozil, I felt no hesitation. And it was not because he played poorly. Everyone makes mistakes now and then. We are human, after all. But effort is a choice, and Ozil chose not to show any.

Freddie Ljungberg all but admitted it in his post-match press conference. When asked about why he substituted Ozil so early and what his thoughts are on the German’s angry response, the interim head coach said:

"“He [Mesut Ozil] should be annoyed when he comes off. But I’m the coach at the moment and I made the decision I wanted more energy in the team. We want possession but sometimes we need to run and tackle and win the ball back. I think Emile did extremely well in Belgium on Thursday, and I wanted to give him a chance. I think he did well when he came on.”"

And while Ozil was mozying around, galivanting here and there as if he was enjoying a Sunday stroll in Hyde Park, his opposite number, de Bruyne, played with a fire and intensity that a select few of the hosts replicated. Where de Bruyne was driving into space, diving into challenges, pressing relentlessly and scoring goals, Ozil was nowhere to be seen; when de Bruyne curled beautiful finishes into the corner of the goal, Ozil was miscontrolling the ball and watching it roll out for a throw-in; de Bruyne was the dominant figure, patrolling throughout the pitch as if he owned the place, Ozil was happy to just rent a square-yard.

And what is most frustrating about the disparity in their performances is that Ozil has the ability to perform like de Bruyne. It is not for want of talent or skill. He is a tremendous footballer with unique capabilities. He has proven it at the highest level time and again. And yet, now, when Arsenal need him most, Ozil flounders, not because he is incapable, because he is unwilling.

That is the most damning indictment on any individual. This is not a lack of talent, which any mere mortal could struggle from. This is a lack of will, and that is just a choice.