Club’s highest earner has underperformed this season and his manager has also left many fans underwhelmed. But the board does not appear to have the conviction to make a hard decisionAs Mesut Özil trudged, head bowed, around the pitch at the end of it all in Baku it was pertinent to wonder what has become of him and where it all goes from here. He is the lost playmaker. His once proud joy in the assist, his once delicate ability to be the subtle architect of a game, has dwindled to the point where it is really worth revisiting a highlights reel from previous years to remember how – even with that idiosyncratic languid style which means he seldom looks...
Ramsey is off to Juventus in the summer but his double-act here with Mesut Özil reached heights all-too-rarely seenYou get what you pay for, as the old saying goes. And on this evidence, Aaron Ramsey is worth every penny of the reported £400,000 a week he will receive as a Juventus player over the next four years.More than a few eyebrows were raised in February when it was announced the Wales international would be moving to Serie A in the summer after running down his contract yet against one of Italy’s most respected sides, Ramsey delivered a performance which underlined just how good he can be. Since the deal was confirmed, he has been the driving force in the revival...
German enigma continues to divide opinion at the Emirates and beyond but if his manager cannot trust him then Arsenal have a problem, and an expensive one at thatTell me what you think about Mesut Özil, and I will tell you who you are. Or at least that is the way the endless debate around the Arsenal playmaker often seems to be framed. Are you somebody who loves beauty and grace and is prepared to accept occasional indolence as a price worth paying, or are you some sort of utilitarian box-ticker, demanding constant effort at all times? Are you a continental sophisticate, or a blunt English football man who prizes industry above imagination? But it is, of course, much more...
German international reached his half-century of assists as Arsenal’s best players all contributed to victory over WatfordWith eight minutes gone in this meeting of upper-to-mid‑table powers there was a significant little wonky detail. Arsenal had just taken the lead on an afternoon when they passed the ball with speed and verve through midfield, with Mesut Özil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan producing some sublime touches.It was from Özil’s free-kick that Shkodran Mustafi rose above a mildly interested Watford defence to send a firm header wiffling into the far corner: “And that ladies and gentlemen is Arsenal’s ONE THOUSANDTH goal in the Premier League!!” a ludicrously upbeat voice declared over the Emirates Stadium PA as the players celebrated. Related: Mkhitaryan puts seal on...
Too often notable by his absence, Mesut Özil showed the skills that can make him a world beater against MilanWhen Brighton beat Arsenal to push Arsène Wenger and his miserable band of men even further into their palace of sadness last weekend, Mesut Özil was nowhere to be seen. It was easy to reach for the old argument that when Arsenal needed this outrageously talented playmaker the most, he was notable by his absence. It has been a vacillating debate ever since Özil arrived in England in 2013, between those who have fallen for his gilded skills and others irked at his ostensibly casual manner.As with most things, the truth lies somewhere between the two. But it is undoubtedly frustrating...