Mesut Ozil covered 11.69 kilometres against Bayern Munich last night, making more key passes than any other Arsenal player.
“I think he wanted to do so well tonight, it [the penalty miss] affected him,” Arsene Wenger said of the German after his side’s 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
And that quote from the Gunners boss is very important to note.
While many relentlessly berate a man signed for £40 million and label him a waste of money, a sense of perspective needs to be gained.
Sure, Ozil made mistakes last night. His missed penalty proved a vital chance missed in one of the most important games of Arsenal’s season. But who won that penalty in the first place? Ozil.
Sure, Ozil looked tired, with the 25-year-old clearly suffering from his first season without a winter break. But who covered the third-highest distance of any player at the Emirates last night (11.69km)? Ozil.
You can see a pattern emerging here. And it’s a pattern that doesn’t stop there.
As Arsenal’s club-record signing, German playmaker Ozil will no doubt fall under more scrutiny than others. With the huge price-tag weighing over his head, that is perhaps justified.
But there is no reason to go overboard. For, if Ozil was so bad against Bayern Munich, what about the rest of the Gunners?
Indeed, no Arsenal player made more key passes during the last 16 first-leg tie than Ozil, while only Yaya Sanogo made as many interceptions (3).
An attacking midfielder being accused of lazy… Making the joint-highest number of interceptions for his side and covering more distance than most of his team-mates. Strange, isn’t it?
Of course, there is no denying that the 25-year-old has gone off the boil recently. The number of assists Ozil has made has dipped in the last few weeks, while some of his performances (notably against Liverpool) have been disastrous.
But, last night, in a game in which his side were a man down and he had no established centre-forward to supply, Ozil tried his damned hardest to keep his side in the game. As Wenger pointed out, it is not a question of desire.
It is simply a question of helping the German re-find his magic touch. And that will involve getting behind the midfielder – not turning against him.
image: © Ronnie MAcdonald
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