So here we are again, Mesut Ozil drops out of the Arsenal trip to Liverpool complaining of a pain in his knee.
Is it real? Could be. Is it made up? History would suggest that when Mesut thinks bad news is coming there’s often a reaction. Whatever it is, I’m not really surprised that we’re here talking about the mercurial German again.
It’s quite interesting watching a certain group of fans use this issue as something to pin on Emery as bad management.
I think fans need a reminder of what Mesut Ozil has been for Arsenal.
This is the most expensive player on our books by about £150k a week. I know people don’t like the fact I mention the figure, but that’s because it’s a baffling number when you consider his drawbacks. It doesn’t matter how you package money, in football, it should be related to what you consistently deliver to the team. ‘It’s not his fault he’s paid that much’ isn’t an argument I’m afraid.
Mesut needs perfect conditions to perform these days. Nice weather, preferably a little break before he plays, he’s no good away from home, doesn’t like to play bruisers or teams that drop a heavy press, and he also doesn’t like to have to muck in for the team, nor will he play out on the right.
We thought his issue before was having to play with Giroud, so Lacazette was going to unleash his creativity. Didn’t happen. Then we thought signing a striker with pace would help him. Didn’t happen. Then we thought it was Wenger, so we waited for the World Cup, where he tanked. Then we waited for Emery, and he once again tanked.
Not to get into the weirdness of him being given tough away days off by TWO Arsenal managers. Imagine that, being 30 years old, the highest paid player at the club, and you’re given tough games off because the manager thinks you’re lightweight? Embarrassing…
Anyone who thinks the Ozil situation under Emery is weird hasn’t been paying attention to what’s going on in football or on a personal level with the player. The game does not allow for passengers, especially when you’re a Europa League side trying to climb into the Champions League. Mesut is a passenger these days, he’s a quarterback who only wants to do what he wants to do. How does Emery have any other choice outside moving him on?
Can we beat Liverpool away in the Premier League? Likely not. Is taking Mesut there going to change things? Unlikely, he couldn’t make it past 45minutes against Brighton.
Be on the lookout for Arsenal fans using this to go at Unai Emery. The careful-what-you-wish-for contingent are stinging after their summer humiliation. They are softening fans up for questions over the manager because he’s taken all the bold decisions most people who have really been paying attention tend to agree with. Mesut Ozil has been a disaster signing for Arsenal and Emery is addressing that problem as we speak. That’s decisive, it’s bold and it’s the right decision.
If we’re going to beat Liverpool this afternoon, it’s going to be with a team of professionals dedicated to the cause. It’ll have to be a full-throttle performance from every single player. We are capable of such a game as you saw in our destruction of Spurs a few weeks ago, but even if we fail, we’re playing the Premier League leaders with two of our most talented player unavailable because of form or contract troubles.
Our defence looks ripe for destruction. I have no idea how Lichtsteiner and Koscielny are expected to survive an onslaught from the outrageous pace of the Liverpool side, outside a very deep block. In midfield, we don’t have much choice outside a bland offering of three defensive midfielders and up front, our hopes and prayers rest on Auba and Lacazette having an outrageously potent day at the office.
Liverpool’s unbeaten run can’t last forever, but I do think they’re too much for us to handle as a team today.
But, it is what it is, and I don’t think there’s any brand of Mesut Ozil that would help us through today.
Here
1st
For
4th
4
4th place so sweet
7
8th hope we don’t concede 8 today.
We should be parking 2 buses today. Banks of 5 and Auba up front, and pray for a 0-0. It’s going to be a long 90 mins. Liverpool are in super form.
Going all-out for a win at Anfield with suicidal attacking and we’ll likely get smashed 4-0.
A scouse mate wants to watch it in the pub together. Get fucked, I told him.
A pain in his knee? Bollocks. Got the sniffles again, have we Mesut? Fucking pussio.
Fear the worst; hope for the best.
Hard to see is getting anything out of this game, considering how poor we are currently and how good is Liverpool’s form.
However, it wouldn’t be beyond us forcing the draw. This is still Liverpool and they have always been prone to an occasional
Meltdown themselves.
Any interesting transfer rumours other than Banega?
Bank of 5 & 4 with Auba up front*. Although would be good if we could figure out how to sneak an extra defender on the pitch.
“A scouse mate wants to watch it in the pub together. Get fucked, I told him.”
Ha. Tell him you have a pain in your knee and can’t make it.
I don’t think we’ll be sent out to express ourselves with no regard for the opposition. Hopefully we keep it tight, our fullbacks don’t bomb forward constantly and we take our chances on the counter.
As far as I’m concerned Ozil should be given his P45 and given a one way ticket out of Arsenal for pastures new, providing there’s any team out there willing to take on a huge wage bill and dead weight. He seems to want to play in certain games and then pulls a sicky for others. He seems more interested in going on holiday even when he’s supposedly injured!!!
The major blame should be with Ivan. He should know how Ozil is. He is putting Ozil with Emery together, a divorce is bound to happen. Now it is up to the current board to clean up this mess.
I have a feeling that I am seeing Arsenal slowly converting to a British Sevilla. May be selecting Arteta wasn’t a bad idea after all.
Liverpool will destroy us. And before people start accusing me of hoping we loose then nothing can be further from the truth. I just can’t see the quality in this team that is needed to win.
I thought against Spurs we should play a sort of 4-3-1-2 and I think we should do the same today: ——————Leno——————- –Niles, Sokratis, Kozz, Monreal– —-Torreira, Xhaka, Guendouzi– —————-Ramsey—————– ——-Lacazette, Aubameyang—- That defence is not ideal at all, Maitland Nile and Kozz give me serious concern. But Lichtsteiner is wasteful in possession which we simply cannot have and is a bit of a disaster waiting to happen defensively. Mustafi is likely not ready to be thrown into a game like this, hopefully there will be limited aerial balls exposing Kozz with Liverpool who play fast stuff on the ground. We’re… Read more »
Today will be difficult regardless of the XI. 3-0 or 4-1 for Liverpool. Not worried about today’s result.
Just hope we get closer to Emery being sacked. He’s not the man to take us forward
Whatever the situation with Ozil, the sad truth, he is going nowhere unless he wants to, and there is very little the club can do about it. This is winston Bogarde++ Rumours China want him, yeah, right, he is going to leave London and head there. Fener can not afford him, Ronaldo is most likely getting his mate to supply him. Nice one Ivan, Wenger or whoever it was, and to be fair, not even sure it was Wenger who set these wages, kind of goes against his values as he calls them. Seems Ivan always lacked a bit of… Read more »
Dream you’ve had an agenda against Emery since the start. Who is the man to take us forward?
Of course we’re going to lose but look on the bright side – it keeps Liverpool ahead of The Scum, so taking this “one on the chin” is reasonable.
Cesc, I agree with the lineup but very worried about AMN and Kos in the backline. I’m honestly in two minds about watching but that would make my decision easier.
I’d prefer Monreal in the centre with Sokratis at this point and Kolasinac filling the left back slot. Kos is so spent at this point.
So Dream 10 who do you suppose would do better bearing in mind our very limited budget? Without serious investment not even Guardiola could take us further.
You weren’t a Wengerite were you because you sound like one. It took Klopp 3 years to get where they are and it took Pep 2 with serious investment.
Emery’s had 6 months to try and turn around Wenger’s shite and you want him sacked? What a fucking joke you are.
David Smith
But I don’t go in for all this ‘Wenger resented giving him those wages’ bollocks.
So he resented it and yet 5-6 months previously was calling it an ‘ideal situation’.
We would have been better letting Ozil walk for free. This isn’t hindsight either, I called that at the time.
Been absolutely spot on about Ozil.
If that little runt cunt is on our books after the January window then someone has to be sacked .
Leftsidesanch
I thought Kolasinac was injured?
The defence is not ideal at all. But it is what it is, that’s why I think we should have that midfield 3 shielding them.
Even with a fully fit defence this would still be a hard game.
Take a moment to appreciate how solid a job Klopp worked on Liverpool.
Took him a while but my word that squad is magnificent.
Leftsidesanch
Not sure, wanted Tuchel but he had a better offer from PSG. Think Chelsea were interested in him as well. Jardim, Ancelotti would have been nice to.
Don’t enjoy watching us under Emery and I don’t think he is a good builder of teams. Hope he goes in the summer but I think he’ll be for two years.
He’d have to tank horribly for him to go in the summer. Why would you desire such a thing?
Experts are doubting for Ozil’s form. Rather it is correct that Emery is not allowing Ozil to perform. Fans should protest for ill treatment towards Ozil. Let us boycott Arsenal match totally to teach a lesson.
We haven’t mustered a single shot, never mind a shot on target, in the second half against BHA without Ozil, and we’re “hoping and praying” that Auba/Laca can help us get a result without any creativity up front against the best defense in all of Europe and probably the world? Yeah, okay. Say what you want about Ozil but Emery’s treatment of him as well as Lacazette has been down right disgusting. Watch him yank Laca for Iwobi at halftime again. What am I saying? Iwobi is gonna start, of course. Either way, I really do hope that Emery has… Read more »
“It’s quite interesting watching a certain group of fans use this issue as something to pin on Emery as bad management.”
*Looks at Dream 10* 👀👀👀
Continues to sip my tea ☕
I don’t know why people expect Emery who is taking over more of a shambles with less resources than most of the other managers who’ve come into the EPL to turn things around faster than they did. It took Klopp years to get Liverpool where they are now and they had massive assets like Coutinho they could sell, it took Guardiola a whole season and about £600 Million, Sarri has taken over a team that won the EPL the season before last and dropped £50 Million on a CDM and £70 Million on a GK and they still don’t look… Read more »
I don’t think so Cesc, I think that Monreal is a slight doubt alongside Mustafi but Kola was available.
This is going to be a tough ask/watch. Our recent record there speaks for itself.
Football throws up “odd” results frequently but can’t see it this evening.
Yaaaay
Csec Appeal. Finally sense spoken
The sooner ozil departs the better…. Absolutely ridiculous that he dons the famous cannon
‘Say what you want about Ozil but Emery’s treatment of him as well as Lacazette has been down right disgusting’
No.
Ozil’s treatment of the club is fucking disgusting and disgraceful.
Shame on any fan backing him. Quelle suprise it’s the same lot that backed Wenger despite he’s disgraceful antics. Just how far does Arsenal come down their list of people/things to back.
Leftsidesanch I thought he was injured, in that case I would probably have him out there and might even think of 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 or something. For us to even get anything out of this everyone is going to have to put a shift in, I can take losing there but if we lose because of a stupid mistake the likes of which we’ve seen at Southampton and Brighton I will be livid. Take Brighton for example, playing with 10 men, should have had the game finished and put a few in before Lichtsteiner cocks up hands them a goal,… Read more »
is ozil injured or did emery’s ego drop him? Ramsay and iwobi the only option in attack mid now.
with Ramsay looking for a new club no way he’s getting injured for arsenal.
Upstate, lets ignore the fact that for the last two years Ozil has frequently missed these games with ‘injuries’, needing to complete the next level of Fortnite, period pains (delete as applicable) etc.
The man is a disgrace for a footballer. He doesn’t deserve to play for Arsenal let alone be paid as handsomely as he does. Him not being available today is the biggest plus of the day already, at least we won’t be on a deficit numbers/effort wise on the pitch.
I don’t know where all this Pulisic talk has come from, pretty sure he looks a nailed on Chelsea player.
Not sure how Arsenal and Liverpool have become part of the rumours. Interesting they have been thrown out there on the day they play each other.
I smell bullshit.
Bennydevito
Loved Wenger. But, we lost our style of play in the last couple of years. And we were terrible in the market for longer than that.
We’re poor to watch right now and our underlying numbers aren’t very good. Don’t think Emery is a mgr like Klopp who you can say “First year will be shit, second yr might be hot and cold, but he will build something of quality”. The quicker we change, the easier it will be to get.back on track.
why didn’t emery at psg ask neymar to run back or even try drop him?
Cesc
The Pulisic deal looks have been done for while..As early as October some say. Chelsea are preparing for a transfer ban next year so they will be busy in the next window (and summer if they appeal the ban, which is.likely). Liverpool were linked in the past. The current links to Liverpool and Arsenal are just to fill column inches
emery is the problem
1st Jack wilshere kicked out
2nd no contract for Ramsay
3rd no contract for welbeck
4th keeps dropping laca
5th issue with playing ozil
he’s ego is much bigger then Wenger.
Agree with Nelson and Dream10 to some extent. I was literally over the moon when Emery was appointed though mainly it was because I absolutely hated the thought of Arteta becoming our next manager. But I did think, here’s a young, energetic guy with some fresh ideas who’s gonna take us forward. I don’t think that anymore. I think we took a step forward first but then two steps back. And keep on going backwards. And it’s not just the treatment of Ozil, Lacazette, etc. I just don’t think Emery is the right guy anymore. My preference was always Jardim,… Read more »
so what you saying Nelson Arteta would have got something out of Ozil ?…….I doubt it
No one can get anything out of Ozil unless you are letting him do exactly what he wants, with no pressing, no responsibility for him, against a shit team, at home, that stands off him, and its a sort of spring time temperature, there’s no direct light, the ground is just a level above soft, the wind is blowing gently against his face to keep his hair out of his eyes, none of the spectators are looking at him, there’s no birds flying over head, none of the defenders look at him and the rest of the team are perfect.… Read more »
xhaka,guendouzi,torreira that’s 3 holding midfielders on the pitch, why should ozil have to run back.
What bugs me most is that why Emery wants to replace Ramsey with Banega. We have to pay 18m just for the transfer fee. He is older than Ramsey.I also read that he’ll let Welbeck go. Again we wants to replace him with one of his old Sevills player????
Go watch Spurs, City and Liverpool and tell me if you see anyone not pressing and not doing work on the other side of the ball.
Then tell me if you see anyone even remotely approaching the level of indifference Ozil has to working for his team.
Honestly, the ridiculousness of people saying ‘would you ask Neymar/Messi’ to do that. Ozil isn’t fit to lace their boots, they are so devastating in the aspects of their games that they relish playing in less intense leagues.
Bob, Emery probably did ask Neymar to track back. Then he got sacked. PSG’s big bosses knew who was more important to the team. Hopefully Arsenal recognize the same sooner rather than later or the negative effect that Emery is having on the club will be very hard to undo.
Because you will have committed £630 000 a week to two players Emery doesn’t like/that don’t fit into his system. One is a CAM that wants to be a CF. The other is a CAM that wants to be a gamer/play netball. Banega has more defensive contribution than Torreira and also more possession contribution than most all of our midfielders, he creates more than most of our midfielders as well whilst having a real tenacity and intensity about him. Emery likes him in his teams, he is Emery on the pitch, he trusts him and he is an all round… Read more »
2017/18 season:
Messi 34 goals and 12 assists.
Neymar 19 goals and 13 assists.
Ozil 4 goals and 8 assists.
Just stop.
That is Ozil playing free role CAM under a manager who thought the sun shone out of his arse, being rested in the big games and turning up against the shit at home with 2 weeks prior rest.
Yeah.
Vitally important.
For context De Bruyne got 8 goals and 16 assists while still posting impressive defensive numbers and carrying out his manager’s instructions to press and play CM frequently.
You’re embarrassing yourselves.
Nelson
Agree again about Ramsey and Banega. Put Ramsey next to Torreira in midfield and you’ve got yourself a very good B2B mid. Why do we need another aging player who will have to be replaced in 2 years because he doesn’t have the legs anymore? Just so Emery can mark his territory so to speak and to satisfy his ego is my guess. I’m really beginning to hate the man.
@Tippitappi
You have misunderstood me. I don’t want to see a manager telling the whole world that my player can’t do this and that. Now our club becomes a joke to all the football fans. The fans can criticize whoever they want. A good manager should always try to protect his players. He can say that he has knee problem or back whatsoever. But don’t say that he can’t do this or that.
Fuck me, Ramsey got 7 goals and 8 assists last year.
Torreira as a CDM is already on 2 goals and 2 assists this year.
Ramsey won’t track back to save his life, and even if he tried he’d have to start from the oppositions box every time. B2B midfielder? You’re having a laugh. You akb trolls aren’t dealing in reality at all. It’s like arguing with a woman. Meanwhile Banega was leading all of Europe in recoveries just a couple weeks back to go along with his 8 goals this season.
I fear for us today.
We have been walking on thin ice in lots of games and have somehow
survived.
Liverpool have the best 2 full backs in the league and I feel over the top or round behind us with these two guys should be easy.?
Perfectly summed up Pedro. I wanted Ozil sold along with Sanchez from when they were first holding out on their contracts. Wenger kept Ozil at any cost to salvage keeping at least part of his face in football, same with the Mhiki deal- pure desperation by Wenger and Gazidis. We’ll continue to pay the price for those deals until Mhiki and Ozil are gone. Fat lot of good it did him in the end. Team and injury wise Emery is trying to keep a ship afloat with so many leaks. As soon as one hole is plugged another appears. All… Read more »
with emery’s style of play and half time subs, 3 holding midfielders. maybe he explain why arsrnal are 13 points behind Liverpool??
Here’s how I see it Earlier in the season Ramsey was subbed and walked off disgruntled and shaking his head…..bad move.. Emery has hardly started him since and withdrew the contract offer. Ozil ..the same… Slowly being frozen out for showing his feelings at being taken off. Ditto Lacazette. Some would call it strong management….I call it petty management by a manager who will lose the dressing room and fan base very quickly if he continues in this manner. I’m sure many on le grove are also coming to terms with the realisation that Emery’s management style and philosophy is… Read more »
the squard has no strength and depth when you take of ozil and laca they is no replacement in the whole squad. this is not psg.
blind faith in players like guendouzi, iwobi,
maitland niles dont help.
I come back in here after a couple of days, sadly the first comment I read is Pierre’s. I think I need a couple more days off.
Pierre
Wenger’s never coming back. Accept it.
a draw today is the best we can hope for, though because of the inconsistent of the team, I wouldn’t be surprised if we lost 3-0 or won 2-1.
You never know which arsenal will show up.
You can see what a complete moron and Wenger worshipper Pierre is in his last comment. Wenger was a great manager because he never subbed someone even if they were having a bad match or we needed to make tactical changes.
Fucking ret*rd.
gonsterous
You basically listed all possible outcomes of today’s game. “Never know which Arsenal is gonna show up” – so how is it different from Wenger’s team?
arsenal is to big for emery
upstate how is it different from wengers team ? maybe it isn’t. But I feel we have taken steps to move away from the arsenal under wenger to an arsenal without wenger. When we look back in 3 or 4 seasons, maybe we’ll say this was the start of some thing new. But I think people expected that once wenger was removed we would have taken a new step almost instantly, sadly not with 70m a year. We are still rebuilding a new life at the Emirates. And it will take more time than a season to actually see the… Read more »
Cesc
It’s no longer worth discussing the merits of Ozil. He has always been, and will always remain, a problem.
Comparing Neymar and Ozil is madness, as is comparing PSG’s owners with Arsenal’s.
Who has been the biggest problem?
Ozil or Emery?
needs to stick with ozil untill he finds a replacement becuse it’s not going to happen with Ramsay or iwobi.
“Heck, I’d take Frank de Boer in the summer because he’d recognize right away that our defense is the main problem, not Ozil.” The same coach that was sacked by Crystal Palace after how many games? Ozil is so good with 6 months left on his contact, nobody was remotely interested in him. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain was bought for 40M with a year left on his contract but nobody wanted Ozil aside from Chinese clubs. I’m guessing that’s Emery’s fault. Ancelotti sold Ozil and played Di Maria in midfield, I’m sure Upstate and Pierre believe Ancelotti doesn’t know what he… Read more »
emery’s style is playing 3 holding midfielders ,playing back and side ways passes and wasting a sub at half time.
4-1 I’m afraid.
Wenger left the following defenders
Mustafi
Koscielny
Monreal
Kolasinac
Bellerin
Holding
Chambers.
Not one of them would be in the starting 11 of the other top 5 clubs.
Only Bellerin would make the squad of the other top 5 clubs.
gonsterous
Fair enough. I just think that we did take a step forward at first but then two steps back, and comments like yours “never know which Arsenal is gonna show up” only prove my point. I’d like to see how Emery and the team respond to what has been a very underwhelming last few weeks, as well as I want to see what he does in the January transfer window. So far though I have not been impressed at all. And rumors of Banega joining us don’t really give me room for more optimism.
Lots of talk about Ramsey. For me he’s a luxury who doesn’t tackle enough or track back enough. He is also far too selfish. Think of the countless times he has dribbled into space, has players either side of him in great positions to open up a defence, and he goes it alone and skies the ball into the back of the stand from 25-30 yards, followed by that “ooooh I was so close” gritted teeth face he pulls. Ramsey had one season where he scored freely, then it all dried up. Now he dines out on a couple of… Read more »
We’ve scored more goals without Ozil in the team than with him in the team but Upstate and Pierre would not acknowledge that because it doesn’t fit their narrative.
Emery probably did ask Neymar to track back. Then he got sacked. PSG’s big bosses knew who was more important to the team. Hopefully Arsenal recognize the same sooner rather than later Upstate are you dense? Honestly because that’s not what happened and besides there’s a difference between an indispensable player and what Ozil is and they’d never pick a player who gets about 4 goals and a handful of assists these days over a manager. As for micro P you couldn’t be more wrong pal management pulled the Ramsey contract offer because they didn’t want another Ozil scenario. And… Read more »
You basically listed all possible outcomes of today’s game. “Never know which Arsenal is gonna show up” – so how is it different from Wenger’s team?
You can be pretty sure it won’t be 8-2 or 6-0 or 10-2 that was a classic Wenger one that
emery kicked Jack wilshere out
Cesc
I like your XI above, though I think it’s going to be rough no matter who we put out there. I think that XI has a chance of keeping it close, though, and like you, Lichtsteiner is an absolute ‘no’ today for me. I think we should sit and try to counter, as Ramsey, Aubameyang and Lacazette on the counter (with fullbacks joining them) could be effective. In truth we should really just be aiming for a draw or for not getting embarrassed.
Ok, so what the fudge should Emery do with Ozil?
Build a team around him?
Accept that he isn’t going to change and adapt things to suit him?
Get rid?
What a fudging dilemma.
Pierre thinks emery doesn’t like players because they shake their heads at being subbed. Pierre is fucking ret*ard Bob puts oZil in the same category as Neymar and Messi. Also thinks Ramsey is a box to box MF. R*tard. What’s the matter with akbs? Licking wengers ass for so many years must be bad for the brain cells. Go post on untold. You’ll be heralded as geniuses over on that sight. You can have a massive circle jerk to how wenger never subbed ozil or Ramsey and would have given Ramsey a new 300 k. a week contact. Ah gooooosh… Read more »
BobDecember 29, 2018 13:46:42
emery kicked Jack wilshere out
Yeah something the wanker wenger should have done 5 years ago.
Yeah. And where is Jack Wilshere now?
Injured again.
100k pw we had him on and he barely played.
Marko
The question Pierre and his ilk can’t answer is if Ozil is so good then why isn’t he being tapped up by a money club?
There are those on here who would pay to get him off the books!
who in that squad can replace ozil now? maybe Ramsay but he’s even letting him go.
With respect to Ozil, we need to hope this Istanbul club is serious when they say they would do “anything” to have him.
As for Pulisic, all the stories last night had him going to Chelsea.
Graham it’s simple you get rid. You don’t build a team around a wet sponge who goes missing when he wants to and contributes roughly 10 goals a season. He’s wank fuck him
Wilshire had to leave.
He was finished.
I’ve wanted Ramsey sold for years. Great job by emery who pulled the deal
One good 6 months out of how many years?
Average player. Will get found out the minute he leaves here
Another wenger failure hyped up by akbs who have no clue about football.
Hopefully wenger ozil Ramsey jack all wind up together then posters like bob Pierre upstate can all fuck off and support the next Arsene FC
Ignore the trolls, all.
Ozil was available on a free last Jan to anyone European club outside PL. FREE. Not one club tried.
Not one.
Case closed
Marko
I know that.
Just being sarcastic.
I feel he will play a curve ball tonight …
Maybe a youth like Eddie up front ..
What ever happened to those two Nigerian sensation young kids we signed two years back…
Also whatever happened to donyel make
Graham
Wilshere was finished years ago
As was Ramsey.
Wenger British project. Hahahaha