Ozil - Do we need him?

[Power n Glory]

Absolute nonsense PnG. What's happened to football is so obvious that the piss is making bruises as it hits your face. And yet we have some people saying, oh dear, how can we tinker with this just a little to get a different outcome? It's just silly.

You have some sort of agenda biased against Ozil. Any fool can look at the guy playing the game and come away appreciating he's a top class footballer. For that to be in question is ridiculous. It doesn't warrant a debate. However, it's perfectly legitimate to ask if we are getting the best from this player given our setup and our (ahem) tactics. We aren't. I'm not sure anyone disagrees with that. It's frustrating. We have a world class player on our hands and we can't seem to use those talents to the best effect. I wonder why that is? certainly not because the player lacks talent. And certainly not because he's established himself right up there with Messi as the most effective influencer in world football. I mean these are the facts, right? We know the guy can do it because he's done it. Right in front of our eyes.

So why is he not doing it now? Could it be that he's suddenly lost all his talent? Or could it be because we have an idiot in charge of the club?

I wonder? What could the most realistic answer be?

Wenger does this. He passes off the blame to anywhere and everywhere to avoid the glaring issue at the very heart of this club. The cancer.

It’s far from nonsense. You should probably calm down with the blanket statements. It doesn’t help. You can’t have Lewandowki down as an ideal striker for us and a talented player but write off the whole of European football. That’s nonsense.

I also think you’re watching a totally different player. Ozil is super accurate and tends not to waste passes. Pinpoint accuracy. I rarely see him play a pass into space hoping the runner gets on to the end of it with a defender contesting it. He plays the percentages and often won’t take a shot if a player is in a better position than him. Am I wrong? That doesn’t mean he’s not world class and that doesn’t mean there is an agenda behind this. What would the purpose be? What’s my agenda?

This is the part I think you’re struggling with.

However, it's perfectly legitimate to ask if we are getting the best from this player given our setup and our (ahem) tactics. We aren't.

So if we all agree we’re not getting the best out of our players, how so?

I’m not the only one who thinks we’re not getting the best out of Ozil. But that extends to other players as well. Without talking about a radical change in personnel that involves the transfer window or sacking the manager, are their possible solutions within the squad to make us a better unit? I think so. Also, if we were to talk about other managers being able to get more out of this team than Wenger, explain how if possible. That’s all this is.

[I am invisible]

The way I see it, if you have a talent, whether it's picking out impossible passes like Özil, holding the ball up and being strong in the air like Giroud, or just running really, really fast like Theo, then you're a potential weapon that's waiting to be used - if we're not getting much out of them, then we're probably not using them right. Özil as no.10 and Giroud as CF is a combination that doesn't work, that's all, and it's making them both look bad - desist in pairing them together in this way, and I think a lot of the problems we see with them become a lot less visible.

As to whether we need Özil, of course we don't - he's a total luxury player! But 'need' isn't the same as 'want', and those luxury players (when you get a good one, and not a dud) are what add the sparkle and excitement to mere functionality and effectiveness. At the level that this club is pitching itself at, you've got to have both...

[I am invisible]

That's the wrong focus. No striker besides Griezmann really stood out and that's the whole point. Giroud scored 3 which is joint second but his play is complimented Griezmann's style.

Basically, Özil is playing in exactly the right place, if has a different striker in fron of him. And Giroud is playing in exactly the right place if he has a different player behind him. Again, the problem here is the pairing, not the players...

[Niall_Quinn]

It’s far from nonsense. You should probably calm down with the blanket statements. It doesn’t help. You can’t have Lewandowki down as an ideal striker for us and a talented player but write off the whole of European football. That’s nonsense.

I also think you’re watching a totally different player. Ozil is super accurate and tends not to waste passes. Pinpoint accuracy. I rarely see him play a pass into space hoping the runner gets on to the end of it with a defender contesting it. He plays the percentages and often won’t take a shot if a player is in a better position than him. Am I wrong? That doesn’t mean he’s not world class and that doesn’t mean there is an agenda behind this. What would the purpose be? What’s my agenda?

This is the part I think you’re struggling with.

However, it's perfectly legitimate to ask if we are getting the best from this player given our setup and our (ahem) tactics. We aren't.

So if we all agree we’re not getting the best out of our players, how so?

I’m not the only one who thinks we’re not getting the best out of Ozil. But that extends to other players as well. Without talking about a radical change in personnel that involves the transfer window or sacking the manager, are their possible solutions within the squad to make us a better unit? I think so. Also, if we were to talk about other managers being able to get more out of this team than Wenger, explain how if possible. That’s all this is.

The ONLY thing that is going to solve this issue, and may others, is sacking the manager because the manager is the problem. And considering the manager has been messing around like this for a decade, regardless of who is in the team, means nothing is going to change while the manager is here. You can't say, how do we change it without sacking the manager, when sacking the manager is the thing that will change it.

If Wenger doesn't go then everything else is irrelevant.

[Power n Glory]

Özil is playing in exactly the right place, if Giroud isn't playing in front of him. And Giroud is playing in exactly the right place if Özil isn't sat behind him. Again, the problem here is the pairing, not the players...

Exactly. It’s a really bad pairing. The question is, do we have the players to make a good pairing? With Giroud, I think we may if played with Sanchez slightly behind him. With Ozil, I always thought someone with pace would do. It’s early days for the Sanchez pairing but I’m a little worried because I haven’t seen anything to suggest they’re on the same wavelength. But I’m prepared to give it more time. If it’s an obvious dud, the only real options left are Perez or Theo.

[Power n Glory]

The ONLY thing that is going to solve this issue, and may others, is sacking the manager because the manager is the problem. And considering the manager has been messing around like this for a decade, regardless of who is in the team, means nothing is going to change while the manager is here. You can't say, how do we change it without sacking the manager, when sacking the manager is the thing that will change it.

If Wenger doesn't go then everything else is irrelevant.

You might as well check out until Wenger leaves in that case. What more there to discuss if all this is pointless to you?

[I am invisible]

Exactly. It’s a really bad pairing. The question is, do we have the players to make a good pairing? With Giroud, I think we may if played with Sanchez slightly behind him. With Ozil, I always thought someone with pace would do. It’s early days for the Sanchez pairing but I’m a little worried because I haven’t seen anything to suggest they’re on the same wavelength. But I’m prepared to give it more time. If it’s an obvious dud, the only real options left are Perez or Theo.

I really think Sanchez behind Giroud would be worth a try - that looks very similar to his pairing with Griezmann to me, and I think it's where Sanchez plays or Chile?

Or we could put Ramsey behind him? I could see that working well too (and it may even be what we need to get Ramsey's mojo back)?

I could even see Özil and Giroud working well in the same XI, if we put Özil down one of the flanks (whenever I've seen the two of them combine well in the past, it's usually when Özil's gone flying down the left on the break, and fizzed in a low cross for Giroud to hit first-time). They just don't work in that No.10/CF relationship - it highlights the worst parts of both of their games, and wastes all of their strongest attributes. Quite frankly, it's making the two of them look like idiots when they're really not.

With Özil staying at no.10, the solution is more obvious - play him with a more mobile CF! But, as you say, the problem we have is that all of the current options who might fit the bill are half-wingers who would have to learn the CF role, so we'd need to make our peace with that one taking a while to develop. I'm up for it - at least it would feel like we're doing something proactive, and that it might lead to a solution. Anything but more Giroud as CF and Özil behind him!

[Power n Glory]

I really think Sanchez behind Giroud would be worth a try - that looks very similar to his pairing with Griezmann to me, and I think it's where Sanchez plays or Chile?

Or we could put Ramsey behind him? I could see that working well too (and it may even be what we need to get Ramsey's mojo back)?

I could even see Özil and Giroud working well in the same XI, if we put Özil down one of the flanks (whenever I've seen the two of them combine well in the past, it's usually when Özil's gone flying down the left on the break, and fizzed in a low cross for Giroud to hit first-time). They just don't work in that No.10/CF relationship - it highlights the worst parts of both of their games, and wastes all of their strongest attributes. Quite frankly, it's making the two of them look like idiots when they're really not.

With Özil staying at no.10, the solution is more obvious - play him with a more mobile CF! But, as you say, the problem we have is that all of the current options who might fit the bill are half-wingers who would have to learn the CF role, so we'd need to make our peace with that one taking a while to develop. I'm up for it - at least it would feel like we're doing something proactive, and that it might lead to a solution. Anything but more Giroud as CF and Özil behind him!

Ramsey or Sanchez behind Giroud seems like it could work. I wouldn't mind seeing how that plays out and I'm not against Ozil being played wide either if we set up that way. We have enough players to control the middle of the park and I think Ozil would be lethal whipping in crosses to Giroud or teeing it up for Xhaka, Ramsey or Sanchez to belt.

I doubt Ozil would like playing wide but I can't see how we're going to get the best of him as a number 10 if things don't work out with these half wingers we're playing with. But definitely would rather see how that pans. I think each of them can offer something slightly different but would need time to adjust.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Ramsey or Sanchez behind Giroud seems like it could work. I wouldn't mind seeing how that plays out and I'm not against Ozil being played wide either if we set up that way. We have enough players to control the middle of the park and I think Ozil would be lethal whipping in crosses to Giroud or teeing it up for Xhaka, Ramsey or Sanchez to belt.

I doubt Ozil would like playing wide but I can't see how we're going to get the best of him as a number 10 if things don't work out with these half wingers we're playing with. But definitely would rather see how that pans. I think each of them can offer something slightly different but would need time to adjust.

You don't want Ozil to play the advanced role but you're happy for Ramsey to?

[Power n Glory]

You don't want Ozil to play the advanced role but you're happy for Ramsey to?

It's not the same role as Ozil or even the same set up.

So to get the most from Giroud we need a player more akin to Griezmann to play that role just off him, within the squad I’d say the most suited players would be Sanchez and Ramsey, who could really bring out the best in him, although the former seems to much prefer playing out wide and cutting in and the latter if he can carry his international form into the new season. Past that I’m sure there are plenty of names you could pull out of the transfer gossip lucky dip but while the list of those that are actually realistic is probabably quite short, it’s pretty clear that there are more viable attacking mids out there than there are strikers.

I won't get into a debate on roles and positioning with you on this one. We know how that goes. Read around on the subject and maybe ask someone else that has suggested the same thing. I'm agreeing with IAV on this one. Also, it's right here in the original article I posted which you obviously didn't read.