Speaking to the ESPN FC podcast, Arsene Wenger has spoken about what Mesut Ozil is like to manage, and he’s commented on how to get the best out of him.
Wenger has claimed that Ozil is a sensitive player who needs to feel like he’s having fun when he plays football, and that’s advice that Mikel Arteta should probably listen carefully to.
Arteta’s problems with Ozil have been well-documented, and while off the field matters have been blamed for his current expulsion from the Arsenal squad, it’s easy to forget that he was being criticised when he was being played under the Spaniard.
Wenger is adamant that Ozil isn’t a difficult player to manage, but he says that he needs support and the right environment.
“He was not difficult manage, to answer your second question straight away,” Wenger said.
“He was a guy who had a special quality as a creative player, and he needed to have fun, he’s an artist. You know, and these guys are a bit more sensitive, and they need support and an environment that pushes them to give their best, and overall I must say there are two ways to see a football team.
“You either get everybody to do the same intensity of work and the same defensive work, or you find a compromise, you have a more creative player in the team who can do less defensive work and you build a team around him.”
Arteta could probably do with listening to this advice.
Fans have called for Mikel Arteta to bring Mesut Ozil back into the squad in January, and if Arteta is going to bed the German back in, he needs to make sure he’s getting the best out of him.
Of course, Arteta may not have any plans to bring Ozil back into the fold, but Wenger saying that he has a ‘special quality’ indicates that he may want to think about it.
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