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.
Days throwing up some surprises, would love us to add to it but cant see it
Moutinho is still a very good player. He’s the type of technician we’re missing at CM.
Seasoned European campaigner. One of my favourites
Ramsey in there for his energy not sure why Maitland-Niles is.
Emery has got his selections right all season, hope that continues.
Paulinho
I don’t mind Ramsay getting forward as long as he isn’t in front of auba all the time.
If your playing one up top that’s auba, support him just don’t leave the midfield on there own.
Total agreement with you about Xhaka being a cone.
Cardiff beating Leicester away
Day is truly throwing up surprises
RR
“Emery has got his selections right all season, hope that continues.”
of course he has ….that’s why he has to keep changing the team at half time.
Radio Raheem
If Maitland Niles is at LWB, it’s probably to stop Salah from cutting in onto his left foot
Wolves have been playing good football under Nuno this season, was never going to be an easy match for Spurs.
Up4Grabs – He’s playing as a forward most likely, not a midfield two, and he will be tasked with using his engine to press Liverpool high and not let them settle, so HE may be ahead of the lightweight Aubameyang quite often.
Iwobi is the one that needs to defend, because we know he can’t shoot or do anything in the final third.
Spuds got away with it last time the two teams played.
Spuds found themselves leading by 0:3 which wasn’t the real story of the game, and Wolves almost equalized in the end scoring 2 and getting really close to a third.
In another day the ref would have bottled it and gave spurs 2 penalties, instead he booked diver Kane, England captain and media favourite..well done sir
LOL Emery bottling it again.
Iwobi over Lacazette. Lichsteiner to stop Mane.
Hilarious.
Paulinho
Iwobi best matches have been being the link btwn CM and the front three. Needs to improve defensively and stamina if he wants to be at top10 PL side in five years.
Emery has it wrong trying to make him develop end product.
@Paulinho “Iwobi is the one that needs to defend, because we know he can’t shoot or do anything in the final third.”
Yes. Ask Iwobi to follow Salah the whole game. Never thought of it…
Wolves have played well against every top 6 side bar Liverpool. Good players and a brave manager. They didn’t try to absorb pressure today. A deserved three points.
Ozil is done. There is no way he turns into the player Emery wants him to be. Just please get rid of him. We need the $$ for other players who can help us.
As for AMN- this is a disaster in the making today. Kid looks terrified- has poor control and bad decision making. Disaster- he needs to be on the bench or on loan
woke up here in cali- checked my phone and spurs were up 1-0
Snoozed for 30 mins and then turned on the TV- up 3-1
awesome. I hope this helps motivate the team today!
Dream10 – Disagree. He’s not good enough to purely rely on being a link player.
He needs some sort of end product otherwise he is literally a half-player that destroys team morale(especially strikers) with constant wastefulness in the final third.
Iwobi for Laca? How weird.
Arguments can be made for playing Saka over Iwobi being shoved down our throats.
I feel Emery doesn’t rate Laca and wants to sell him.
Wolverhampton doing phenomenally well in their first season shows how important it is to have good wingers – speedy, dangerous dribblers. Their full back Doherty has 3 goals and 4 assists, a better total than any of our players bar Auba, Laca and Ramsey. Klopp has done it with Robertson, Mane, Salah, now Shaqiri. Pep obviously has like 6+ of this type of players – Sane, Sterling, Mahrez, Bernardo, Walker, Mendy. Take away Mahrez and Leicester never become champions. Obviously Hazard in Chelsea. I could only see Kolasinac and possibly Bellerin being good enough in attack playing in the wide… Read more »
Laca and Guen to add energy in the second half is my guess? For sure AMN will be subbed
Come on Arsenal
This squad isn’t good enough, there is not the level of quality or balance and the pattern emerging is that Emery tries to keep assets on the bench to bring on to provide something different for the opposition to worry about.
I think it was me, Dissenter, Gambon and some others who said in the summer Lacazette should be sold to fund a move for a really good winger.
Starting to look like that should have been done.
I’d see if juventus are interested in a swap deal for ozil,
They must have someone we could use. And Ronny will be happy again.
I just hope Iwobi at least knows what formation we’re playing today
Emery has set up as usual to be behind by first half and then bring on Laca by half time..lol..I hope am wrong but no sane person will see that line up and not just only wish for a miracle.
Emery changes too much and I dont enjoy it.He seems confused.
leftside
lol
‘I think it was me, Dissenter, Gambon and some others who said in the summer Lacazette should be sold to fund a move for a really good winger.Starting to look like that should have been done.’
Without Laca partnering him, PEA looks lost and ineffective. I don’t know how can anyone recommend selling arguably the most valuable player in our team.
You want to sell Laca but keep people like Micky, iwobi??
The manager should rather get players that will work in a system that accommodates Laca and Auba.
The atmosphere is sick.
It’s because the tempo of the game has gotten much higher than before that managers with yesteryear approach are finding it hard to deliver. Wenger and mouninho to say a couple. Hard rock, hard pressing managers with very offensive approach like Klopp, Nuno Espirito Santo, Pep kind of, are now considered the normal type.
It’s where Ozil’s gameplay suddenly looks as you are looking at a slow-mo ret*rd trying to play with the big boys. It won’t happen.
Come on The Arsenal!!!!
Zero expectation game …playing from the back with these guys can be annoying at times. They were doing it well at a point.
Cesc Appeal
Hope Lacazette isn’t sold. We need to add plays with more end product, not lose any.
The more goals you have in your side, the easier it is to make top 4.
TR7
“Without Laca partnering him, PEA looks lost and ineffective. I don’t know how can anyone recommend selling arguably the most valuable player in our team.”
…without a proper wide player, Auba or Lacazette aren’t effective.
What’s the point os signing two central forwards and not providing a winger to properly weaponize either of them.
In the context of a limited budget, having both may be a luxury we cannot afford, that is the simple argument for getting rid of either of the two. I know you fancy Laca more.
Mane gets banned for three games, when that is reviewed…surely.
Lichtsteiner has a PhD in shithousery.
Already pissing Mané off
Surviving 10 min…
Shot on goal. First corner
When Emery sells Lacazette, Ozil, Ramsey and replaces them with fucking Banega, will you all still be on his dick?
The two rejects combine
Goal of the two rejects.
Get in amn
NILESSSSSSS
AMN!!
Fantastic play by Iwobi, Ramsey and AMN.
EMERY KNOWS!!!!!
AMN. scored.
Fuck you Klopp
Goal!!!
Get the fuck in
Dissenter,
Goal of three rejects!
Well fcuk me!!!!!
Get in
Nice goal AMN!!!!
Come on lads!!!
Emery!!!!
Iwobi son
Maitland-Niles hahaha
iwobi to AMN…good one, don’t rest on that, defend
Keep the lead
What I said.
Speedy, fast dribblers are much more valuable to managers like Emery, Klopp, Guardiola, Nuno Santo.
It’s why Ozil and Mikki have no place in our team.
Iwobi proving me wrong. Long may it continue.
Again.
Atrocious defending.
We put the ball back in the net ourselves.
WTF
Sloppy to extreme
Again our defense fails us.
Seriously?
Calamity defense strikes again
They didn’t even have to work for it.
We need a midfielder that can read and control the game.
Lichtsteiner again.
What a trash player jesus fkkkkk!!!
Lichsteiner is fucking useless.
Well we’ll…. this sucks… the lead didn’t last long did it.
well…..we can’t defend still
Shakes head*
Fucked.
That was Torreira making Xhaka look like a saint.
Lichtsteiner must be the worse transfer of quite a while.
I’d rather we kept Debuchy fk my life.
GG another goal.
WTF?
All that work undone by more brain dead defending
Sigh. Embarrassing shit.
What a disaster……
Emery knows… arse. What a clown. DEFENSE, you idiot.
Lucky cunts
Same old Arsenal just cannot hold a lead for any amount of time. Been happening for years. Lichtsteiner is shocking
Yep flashbacks of Robbie Fowler getting a two and a half minute hatrick
ha ha ha ha ahaha
Tell me more about how Torreira guarantees us a performance.
Torreira doing a Xhaka there.
And you can ssee why we need a CB.
Mustafi should have taken one for the team
WTF from Firmino
Upstate you cunt
8-2
6-0
5-1
5-1
4-0
Shut up you akb wanker
Embarrassing. Just a matter of how many now …
raptora
Reckon Mkhitaryan would have started ahead of Ramsey. For Emery
Iwobi, Mkhitaryan>>>>Özil, Ramsey
The latter two don’t follow his instructions.
Fucked.
Two mistakes.
Auba should have taken a shot before we conceded.
We are nothing short of an absolute joke of a defensive unit.
SPEND THE ENTIRE BUDGET ON A DEFENCE…. EVEN THE SUMMER BUDGET. DISGRACEFUL!
I’m sorry but it has to be Emery out.
6 months in and we defend worse than at any point under Wenger.
Lichsteiner, Torreira with the comedy…add that dpnkey Mustafi….
Hahaha Mustafi and Sokratis dumb and dumber
DaleDaGoonerDecember 29, 2018 17:47:24
ha ha ha ha ahaha
Shows who you support you wanker.
Lichtsteiner is at fault. Idiotic defending from him.
Ramsey asking for Xhaka and Torreira to push up. Saying Arsenal are too deep
And another Arsenal recurrence two quick fire goals. Our two CB’s made to look like amateurs
I’m waiting for the usual actors to turn on Torriera for the give away.
Equal opportunity critics are being sought
Looking forward to Emery talking about “we’re in a process” and “improvement” and “hard work”.
Firmino knew he was going to get his first goals at Anfield this season against these shit wankers
Upstate Gooner,
aka Victorious. Suck a fat one.