Arsenal: Mesut Ozil has more tantrums than goal contributions

Arsenal have a Mesut Ozil problem, and vice versa. It’s not good when your highest-paid player has more tantrums than goals and assists combined.

I am on a fierce negativity streak right now. It’s a cloudy day here in New York City, Star Wars doesn’t release for another four days, and Arsenal had their arse handed to them at their own home. So no, I won’t apologize for my temperament. I will, however, redirect it to another Mesut Ozil fresh take. You’re welcome.

Fun fact: Mesut Ozil and Arsenal have never been right for each other. He was a glorious idea gone horribly wrong. He had about six months of being prolific and after that—bupkis. Nothing.

But through it all, we’ve kept hold of him, maid him our highest paid player, and had to weather some rough times. To be fair, Ozil should be just as aggrieved at Arsenal as Arsenal should be aggrieved with Ozil. It’s just not a good combination.

To reinforce this fact, let’s consider his statistical output this year, because we’re all sadists here, right? Good.

While Unai Emery’s hard stance with Ozil was admirable and brave, Freddie Ljungberg has essentially caved to the old ways. All in all, Ozil has played 669 minutes, that’s five whole minutes more than Dani Ceballos has played.

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Ceballos is still stuck at the two assists he grabbed against Burnley while Ozil is still sitting pretty at zero goals and one assist. That puts him at a grand total of one (1) goal contribution on the year.

Compare that to the number of on-screen tantrums he’s thrown this year. He had one (1) against Brighton, when he stormed past Per Mertesacker and appeared to yell at Alexandre Lacazette, and he had one (1) against Manchester City, when he kicked some stuff, refused a BFG hug and that was that.

Which puts him at a grand total of two (2) tantrums thrown this year, exactly double the number of goal contributions he’s made.

I didn’t keep track of the number of tantrums Alexis Sanchez threw in his final year at the club, but he contributed seven goals and three assists in 1500 minutes. He would have had to throw twenty (20) tantrums, therefore, to match the statistical output that Ozil is currently looking at. And while he was a spoiled child, no doubt, I think that 20 was even out of his range.

It’s not a good look for Ozil. Honestly though, I don’t hold it against him. I think the world of Mesut Ozil, even if this came across facetiously. I just wish that both sides would realize how bad they are for each other and part ways.