Holding out for 3 weeks. Willian and Ceballos out for the Vienna game

Football can be laughingly fickle. If you improve the team and help get results you are pretty much guaranteed to play regardless of non footballing issues. Similarly to be dropped from a 20+ Member squad in a team that is struggling to create chances, you know that you don’t fit the way the manager wants to play. Perhaps some would argue Arteta really should develop a style that utilises Özil’s talents. But the fact that Mikel has chosen not to, clearly says he believes success is more likely without him. It’s a shame and a waste of money but unfortunately Özil doesn’t seem suited to top flight football anymore. The fact that no clubs seemed interested in loaning him speaks volumes.

Exactly.

Özil certainly hasn't shown enough in the last few years to justify building a team around him. So he either slots into a role or he is surplus.

Saka is a Christian, along with most of the Brazilians, he cited Luiz’s influence there when he signed and before. It’s par for the course that particular demographics latch onto players that match whatever they endorse, and that’s fair enough but I can’t say I’m a fan of it. Especially when you start talking about cashing in on it.

Özil could be a Scientologist for all it matters, Arteta would have dropped him anyway.

Read the latest arseblog transcript, no doubt Arteta is a man of integrity

At work you tell people not to discuss politics and religion. Good solid advice for other venues as well.

The Özil decision is Artetas to make but he must rise or fall on it. He is getting his way 100%, something Emery was denied. But if Willian is not a success, Luiz does stupid things, Partey is not a success, he fails to get Saliba playing, Pépé does not produce (he picks him) then he alone is responsible. Overall if we fail to improve significantly, getting better (much better) this season and must be top 4 by the end of next season then the die is cast. I could go on with Mari, Soares etc. But he could leave a real mess behind. The Willian 3 year contract , was it 4yrs for Soares.

Personally, I am unconvinced at this time.

Er, read much of the forum lately?

I think the point everyone else is hinting at is that they don’t care

Exactly

What about Elneny, or does he not count because he’s (to borrow a phrase) ‘not much cop’? He’s Egyptian and Egypt’s population is, I believe, about 90% Muslim.

Hey omoh, I hear ya. You know what? We can win with Özil in the squad not tracking back or playing his designated role. We have won before with him doing what he likes. I don't think we would win as much, especially against highly skillful and organized squads like City, Liverpool or even Tottenham.

That said, one of the biggest issues with Arsenal sides the past several years was belief. There are intangibles that we seem to lack with spirit, etc. I think Özil being the exception openly doing as he likes hurts us in that regard. The players out there now try to play Arteta's system. Presumably they have bought into it if reports from players are any evidence. Presumably one of the reasons Aubameyang signed a new contract.

Admittedly, its tough to see someone of Özil's quality. Definitely the most skillful midfield player by some distance being left out. But if he's not going to play Arteta's way or not give 100 percent in training, etc., then we are better off trusting Arteta as to why.

It was the extension of the contract which was the problem. The blame lies 100% with Wenger. He was trying to save his job and as Alexi was not staying he wanted Özil to stay otherwise it would look like the players had lost confidence in him. Did you support Özil in staying and were you in the Wenger camp at that time?

The only use for Özil I can see is in games where we are totally dominating, opposition literally camped in their own box, potentially even a man down. That rarely happens for us. Nearly every team in the league has a decent enough plan to defend well and counter attack - a lot go even further than those basic tactics and actually press high, man mark all over the pitch, squeeze the lines and keep the ball. Obviously Arteta doesn't think Özil fits the bill for any of those games (which is most of them!) as he offers nothing without the ball. Also the reality is he was offering very little with the ball for the last year or so, assists had dried up and he was getting maybe 2 goals a season for someone in an attacking role, it was pathetic. For all the media taking a swipe at Arsenal for not putting him in the squad I don't see a single club (other than Saudi Arabian leagues) ready to take Özil on. The game has moved on from traditional 'lazy genius' No. 10's. I would much rather invest time in to someone like Smith-Rowe

I completely get that Özil will not comply with Arteta's system. Keeping out totally seems punitive. We are in 4 competitions and it makes no sense that he is not involved in early rounds of the league or FA cups where we have fixture congestions.

I tend to believe the story that the team is not trying to pay him appearance and performance fees.

Yes and I am glad you mention it. To use a Wengerism, overall, he brought loads of money into the club through sponsorships and sales. On the pitch he was also one of the few reasons to watch The Arsenal. The most imaginative player we had for years.

Hi AG - it is often said that Özil will not play as the manager asks him to, or has given less than 100% in training, but is that a fact? Only those close to the action will know. May be worth reflecting that before he came to Arsenal Özil had reached the pinnacle of football - Germany and Real Madrid - and there was no sense of him being lazy or a disruptive egotist in those teams. Although Arsenal was a step, or more accurately a staircase down in quality to what he had been used to, he didn't come here just for the ride. His contributions to the team were evidently not those of a soloist. Also his commercial importance was huge, which now seems to be conveniently forgotten by his critics. Something has gone wrong under recent managers and it can't simply all be his fault.

Going back to our lack of creativity at the moment and I don't think this is strictly a midfield issue. Look at how Liverpool play, not very much creativity from their midfield, they use their full backs and a multi-faceted front 3. City as well quite often play with 2 holding or less creative midfielders (Rodri, Fernandinho, Gundogan). Spurs, Man U and Chelsea also don't get much creativity from the pair of midfielders they pick. I wouldn't have though any combination of Xhaka/Ceballos/Partey to be much more or less creative than those other sides.

However what those other sides all have are forward players with natural creative tendencies as well as goalscoring ones. Salah, Mané, Kane, Son, Pulisic, Havertz, Werner, Rashford, Martial, Sterling, Foden, Mahrez, Ageuro. Each of those forwards are just as likely to stick the ball in the net as they are beat a man with skill or pace and play an incisive through ball or cross.

Aubameyang is a finisher, and a very good one, but he isn't a creator as well like Henry was.
Lacazette is a more traditional CF, a hold up man and getting in the 6 yard box, he isn't like Kane or Firminho in the creative stakes.
Nketiah is an old school fox in the box
Pépé/Willian - their numbers are just nowhere near the likes of Sterling, Pulisic, Rashford for the wide forward role.
I have hope for Martinelli who has the profile to fit this modern forward but he's still so young.

I think if we had a forward line made of more of these multi functional forwards we'd solve a lot of our creativity issues. I think this is the area of the team that Arteta needs to target improvement in.

I'd like to see a back 4 with Xhaka/Partey in front. Willian as a No.10 and a front 3 of Martinelli/Aubameyang/Pépé

Özil is quoted as saying that commercial decisions are at the heart of it stemming from his defence of Muslims in China. Sad to say that is more believable than the player not having the qualities to play the game.

For what it's worth, I think the club acted disgracefully in that instance - distancing yourself from a player because he speaks out about religious persecution is just cowardly, no matter what the PR implications might be. But with regards to the current situation, Özil played nearly every game under Arteta until the covid break. Why is the China thing suddenly such a problem now? It doesn't really add up in my opinion.

Could that be because he's contributed little so far? And he's not even able to perform at the level of a 19 year old on the other wing?

Pépé might do something, he might contribute something, he might become something, but so far he's been bloody average so I don't understand why you're so defensive.

What makes you so sure its because of that? I wouldn't put him in the squad either because he's total poison to the work ethic that Arteta is trying to create. The a****** gets paid enough to retire on in a few months and can't be arsed to turn up at training or play hard for 90 minutes. If he was such a martyr he'd quit and join a *%^@*** charity so he can do good in the world. He certainly shouldnt need the money anymore. This is not about Arsenal doing wrong by him, it's obvious that he has a grudge with someone at the club like Kroenke and is making a political protest against them. *%^@ him and his champagne socialist b%*&s%*^.

He's been playing the "poor minority" string for years if you recall his departure from the German squad. Meanwhile he gets cosy with Erdogan who is rightly accussed of war crimes and ethnic cleansing. I find it incredible that Özil is being defended.

That's not quite true though is it. Özil himself is quoted as reminiscing about Mourinho giving him a bollocking for "floating around like a butterfly". Real knew what they had on their hands and sold him at what should have been his absolute peak. That in itself tells a story. Wenger, being the Mother hen that he is, setup the epilogue.

Yes. a lot of things don't add up over this Özil situation, but in the end it may well be that money is the key factor in all of it. Is it at all far-fetched to say that financially The Arsenal got what they wanted from the deal with the player, and once that had been maximised in terms of sponsorships and add ons, they have been looking to move him on in order to incur less contract costs? You can easily see the desire to do so in these Covid times when the club has been badly hit. By not selecting him at all the hope may be that he will yield and walk away. Making his own decision about his income rather than agree a voluntary pay cut may have not enamoured him to the incredibly wealthy owners, just as his support for the Uighur community did not please the Chinese broadcasters. Given what a proven talent he has been for clubs and country I find it hard to believe that he has been sidelined for purely footballing reasons. If that is the case then we are back to fish and chips and the fish tastes very ordinary to this palate.

Hmm...that's a tough one to swallow if true. Is our club capable of that? Punishing a player in that manner over ideological / human rights issues?

On reflection you are right. I have referred Özil to the International Court of Justice. I'll report back as soon as I hear anything from The Hague.

A champagne socialist Erdogan supporting Muslim? He might need a psychologist to help him with that one!

I can't believe the club would punish him for holding his human rights views, but regrettably I can well imagine a bowing to commercial pressure from Chinese broadcasters. That Chinese market is a big one!

He's a hypocrite so should have no problem.

Maybe we should buy a Chinese player to make amends and maintain the Arsenal commercial outlook.

Mourinho bollocks everybody, that is his style, but Özil was one of his men. He rated him highly and probably still does. Don't forget it was Ancelotti who was manager when Real Madrid let Özil leave, and they did so not because he was a wrong 'un but because they needed funds to buy Bale. At the time big players Ramos and Ronaldo did not want to lose Özil.

As for birds Özil was the goose that laid golden eggs for The Arsenal - hence his rather expensive seed.

How the mighty are fallen. The Invincibles ... and now we are just left with Intangibles!

And you can be sure that has crossed the minds of the money men. If a Chinese version of Özil was to appear - a creative passer, selfless assister, magical skills but a bit short on galloping around the pitch - you might find our manager's yen for runners would weaken.

I worded my post poorly, what I meant was that this excuse that it's all about his comments on China doesn't add up. It wasn't a problem in the games leading up to the covid break where he started regularly, so I don't buy that it's all about those comments now. More likely a combination of simply not giving enough in training, and the refusal to take a pay cut.

Or even worse, The Incognitos?

"Emery's Incomprehensibles"?

Champagne Socialist is always a phrase that makes me chuckle. I mean who doesn't like bubbles with a side order of a functioning NHS and kids who aren't hungry?

Me too although I did enjoy grantys post. My personal favourite is “political correctness gone mad” which usually means “I should be allowed to be mean to people thanks”

You must be joking. He was getting dropped by several coaches including Wenger who I assume you consider a bastion of racial and religious prejudice when it comes to coaching.

I assume your on a wind up or playing devils advocate because that tops AGs current contender for daft post of the year.