Arsenal: Freddie Ljungberg handling Mesut Ozil perfectly

Freddie Ljungberg stated he wanted to make a stance on listless Arsenal star Mesut Ozil. His handling of the situation has been absolutely perfect.

Mesut Ozil missed Arsenal’s trip to Everton on Saturday due to injury. After hurting his right foot in last weekend’s loss to Manchester City, the German was not included in the travelling squad to Goodison Park.

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While his fitness record is a little ambiguous, to say the least, that would have been a sufficient reason for him missing the match. But interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg, who was in charge of the team for the final time with Mikel Arteta in attendance, did not want to leave it at that. On his volition, he made quite the statement regarding the Gunners’ star creator.

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Speaking after the draw with Everton after mentioning that Ozil would not have been involved had he been fit prior to the match, Ljungberg doubled down on his critique of the £350,000-per-week midfielder, and he did not hold back:

"“For me, I got asked after the game about Mesut. He walked off the pitch [in the Man City game] and then kicked his gloves. The fans were not happy. I got asked about it and said, ‘At Arsenal, that’s not how we behave and not what we do’. I stand by that. Mesut was injured, but I would not have picked him for the squad because I want to make a stance that it’s not what I accept from an Arsenal football player. That’s my decision. I won’t make the decisions again, but that’s what I think.”"

Some may argue that this is a little silly from Ljungberg, an uncalled for ‘attack’ on a player who is not involved and does not need to be referred to in pre-match and post-match comments. But Ljungberg wanted to make a statement. He wanted to put his head above the parapet and ensure that a stance was taken on Ozil. And he is well within his rights to do so.

While Ljungberg will no longer be in charge of the team as head coach, his opinion still carries significance within the club. And on this issue, his opinion is quite justified. Ozil has proven to be lazy, noncommittal, impassionate, unmoved by the need to work for the team and club, almost entirely motivated by the wage he is earned not the titles that he can win, and, most concerningly, ineffective.

Not only is Ozil not working hard; he is now not providing those moments that make carrying his laziness as a luxury player worth it. He has just one Premier League assist on the year, he averages just 2.3 key passes per game, of which 1.6 have come from set-pieces, still has not scored, and his shots per game are down to 0.6. These are all lows for his time in north London.

Quite frankly, Ozil does not deserve to be playing. He does not work hard, he provides little to the team, and is a problem in the dressing room. Ljungberg is quite right to call him out. In fact, he has handled the situation perfectly.