You can’t take those stats seriously. We’re sitting 5th in the table with one game to go and he produces a ‘record breaking’ performance against a recently relegated Sunderland.Do you guys really think this is the right time revisit this thread? Am I wrong to question why he hasn’t performed like this in recent months?
Outside of scoring against Chelsea, Ozil hasn’t scored against a team in the top half all season. (Watford, Swansea, West Ham, Stoke, Middlesbrough). That extends to the cups also where he’s only scored against Basel and Ludogorets in the CL. No goals or assists against PSG or Bayern. Same for the FA Cup. He hasn’t played much but only an assist against Lincoln City.
9 assists in the league – against Sunderland, Spurs, West Ham, West Brom, Burnley, Man City and Southampton. 0 assists in the CL against PSG or Bayern despite playing each team twice.
It’s not just about goals and assists but if this were a lesser player producing such stats, nobody here would make an argument for them to be signed up on a record breaking contract.
No, it's not just about goals and assists. We argued that backwards, forwards and sideways last time. It's about his ability to retain and move the ball, despite Wenger's (what shall we call them?)... "tactics". For different reasons, Ozil, Alexis and Ox are vital to this team. It doesn't mean the team is in good shape. It doesn't even mean these players are at the top of their respective games. It simply means we are so short on genuine threats, whether they be fairly consistent as with Alexis, intermittent, as with Ozil, or emerging, as with Ox, we can't afford to lose any of them or we'll slide even further.
In addition, the transfer market has gotten even crazier. The £40mill and £35mill we paid respectively for Ozil and Alexis wouldn't be nearly enough to replace these guys unless we got super fortunate or Wenger suddenly recovered his ability to spot a talent.
Finally there's the message losing our star players will send. If Ozil, Alexis and Ox walk (and I think at least 2 of them will unless we act decisively) then forget it, we're back to square one or maybe square zero given Wenger's accelerating inability to cope in this league, let alone Europe.
Every indicator screams at the need to keep Ozil - the question asked in the title of this thread. Yes, it's bloody obvious, we need him. The goals and assists ice the cake. Even if he wasn't scoring and assisting, we'd still need him because we'd be worse without him and it's highly unlikely the bunch in charge will spend adequately to replace him. Even if they did, the opportunity cost would be the striker we have needed forever. I suspect we'll stick with Giroud when it all winds out in August, but that's a different subject and that's the same old Wenger.
Wenger is staying. We're already in serious trouble for next season as a result. We can't afford to lose our best players on top of that.
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For £42m and the wages he's on and wants, you don't think that can be replaced? We've had players like Nasri and Hleb that can do that. Cazorla can do that. Iwobi can do that. Not a good argument. If that's all we need, it can be replaced with ease.t's about his ability to retain and move the ball, despite Wenger's (what shall we call them?)... "tactics".
Losing a marquee signing is what's damaging but his output....easily replaced. I'd take Cesc off Chelsea's hand without a doubt.
Okay, fair enough. There's no discussing this with you. You have this Ozil bug. Anyone who wants to replace Ozil with Cesc really hasn't thought things through. The chavs have though, which is why they are trying to offload him.
Giroud and Gibbs. btw.
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Answer the question. Can we find a player for £42m that has the ability to retain possession and move it forward? You're really not thinking straight with that argument because our possession game has gone to shit and we have players and have had players with that ability and more.
Let’s set this one straight. I started this thread early in the season and now that we’re at the end of the season, what has he produced?You have this Ozil bug
You made a weak attempt to post up some meaningless stats one game away from the end of the season when we’re 5th in the league. How are you proving me wrong? Keep quiet and say nothing more if you don’t like what I have to say. You keep revisiting this topic. Accept that it’s over.
You've deliberately diluted my original response so no, in the context you have created, I won't answer. Instead I refer back to my original post.
Our possession game is not shit. We excel at it, unfortunately. It's our passing game that has gone to shit because of our possession game. Wenger obviously values possession above all else. He's taken all the ambition out of the players, except Alexis who he can't seem to control or indoctrinate. Which is why Alexis loses the ball more than anyone. It must infuriate Wenger. But, of course, when you are ambitious and try for the more lucrative stuff over the mundane you will win some, lose some.
Gibbs is a good example. When he was a kid he'd take his man on down the line. Not always to great success, but he had ambition in his play. Now he'll pick the safe option almost every time. If Wenger didn't want that he wouldn't be picking him. The same worrying trait is developing in Bellerin. Walcott is a poster child for the problem. Ozil is far more ambitious when he plays centrally. When he's wide he has fuck all to pass to unless a teammate comes across so they can do that tip tap routine.
Another example, Xhaka. We've seen how effective he can be with the long pass. But mostly he too is consigned to those damnable midfield triangles.
We play a ludicrous system. The ball will go to the CB. Out to the FB. Up to the WB. Back to the CB. Into the middle. Straight back. Wide again. Then eventually to Alexis, Ozil or Ox who will try to do something with it if they can. They look up, see Bif 20 yards behind the play ambling along without a care. So back it goes to allow Bif to saunter up the pitch at leisure. Where he promptly finds a defender to be marked by. Back to goal, as always. A fucking horrible player to have in the team when you have the likes of Ozil and Alexis on the pitch.
Wenger loves this. Keep the tempo slow, that's the key. Vital to do that so the accuracy can be maintained. Then tip, tap, tip, tap. Keep that possession. The theory, I suppose, is to drag the opposition around the pitch until an opening presents itself. Of course the slow tempo ensures the opening never arrives because it's all so comfortable for even the most mediocre of defences. Insanity, tapped out on the pitch match after match.
Occasionally though, for whatever reason - maybe rebellion, we inject a bit of pace. 5-10 minutes in a match maybe. And that's when the goals come and the surprise bonus of entertainment is delivered. Anti-Wengerball. Faster, more direct, players running rather than walking. And THAT's when Ozil, Alexis and Ox come into their own - and sometimes even Ramsey. You could distill our season down to maybe 2 hours of decent play. The rest is Wengerball.
Now if you want Ozil to play like that all the time - have a word with Wenger.
As for Cazorla, great player of course. But to suggest he's a potential replacement is to ignore the reality of his past few seasons. If these Ozil replacements are so readily available, name one. For the money we'd spend.
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