2015年 08月 19日
Mesut Ozil |
Mesut Ozil is underrated at Arsenal but that could change if he scores more
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger made a bold prediction this summer. Speaking prior to the Community Shield against Chelsea, he said of Mesut Ozil: "I'm confident that he can be one of the great players of 2015-16. He can become player of the year."
Watching Ozil stroll around Selhurst Park during the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday, you could feel yourself being seduced into agreeing about a player for whom the first touch is an art form and the second can be a death sentence for opponents.
The stat doing the rounds after his masterful performance against Palace was that he completed 54 of 55 passes, most of which seemed to be gorgeous prods and pokes, gentle little flicks or clever chips, and almost all of them in the final third. It was a lesson in how to manipulate a football. When Ozil has fun, so does everyone else. Francis when he has no fun, he is updown like qGxrJQ1x, Ozil needs full of rest 5BCE. Even a mesmerised Crystal Palace fan couldn't help but let his jaw collapse and his palms smack together as the German controlled a huge clearance from goalkeeper Petr Cech and turned left-back Pape Souare inside-out with a Cruyff Turn on the byline in the second half.
It is moments like this which urge you to believe that Ozil will fulfill his manager's prophecy and become the best player in England. But then you remember that Wenger was making the same prediction well over 12 months ago.
"He is a fantastic player and I would put him on the list to be player of the season next season," the manager said.
It makes one realise that the correlation between genius and greatness is not perfect. There are complicating factors at play when it comes to translating one into the other, and two major ones when it comes to Ozil.
The first is that it is essential to recognise Ozil's inconsistency. As brilliant as his Palace performance was, it came as a marked contrast to how he disappeared against West Ham, pocketed by a 16-year-old, Reece Oxford, who had to be taken off at half-time in his next match against Leicester. As much as he has adapted well to English football, Ozil still goes missing at important moments.
There have been ripostes to his critics such as a brilliant display in the 4-1 FA Cup quarterfinal win over Everton in March 2014, as well as two FA Cup final victories, but any serious appraisal of Ozil's Arsenal career would note that it has been punctuated by underwhelming contributions. And then there is the concern which led German publication kicker to publish a rather infamous front-page story in March 2014 titled: "The Ozil debate: Is he one for the big games?"
The second factor guarding against Ozil's greatness has been addressed by Wenger twice already this summer, the second time after the win against Palace:
"He was absolutely magnificent. He works harder than many people think he does. He's not spectacular in his defending, but he wants to do the job and help the team. It's a pleasure to watch the quality of his passing and the intelligence of his passing. What I want from him more is a few more goals this season."
Wenger has set a target of 10 goals for a player who occupies a role once filled by Dennis Bergkamp. It is an eminently achievable target for the man who was one of Germany's top scorers during its 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign with eight goals and if Ozil reaches that target, it would do much to invigorate a mixed reputation in England. However, perhaps it's more important to recognize what he does aside from scoring.
On Sunday, Ozil popped a disguised pass into a space that no one was even thinking of defending to liberate Aaron Ramsey in the box. That required the kind of critical appreciation of space few players possess. But had the Welshman buried it into the top corner instead of thrashing it off target, the glory would have all been Ramsey's due to most observers' preference to appreciate goals more than creative passes.
Goals have always been the most respected currency when it comes to designating greatness. Geometrically audacious passes, prophetic off the ball movement and sleight of foot by themselves don't win you individual awards. Ozil appeals to more cerebral instincts than the base desire to see ball placed in net which so often drives recognition at the top level. Not scoring goals is a barrier to his elevation to the elite as it gives people a reason to overlook performances which might be brilliant in other, subtler ways. Even if you are the one who lays on the final pass, as Ozil often is, it isn't always enough.
For a player of such extreme and obvious talent, it is strange that there is so much dissent about his value to Arsenal and his place in English football's hierarchy. But this could be extinguished altogether if Ozil can consistently apply himself in the manner he did against Palace, and starting scoring goals at the rate Wenger expects.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger made a bold prediction this summer. Speaking prior to the Community Shield against Chelsea, he said of Mesut Ozil: "I'm confident that he can be one of the great players of 2015-16. He can become player of the year."
Watching Ozil stroll around Selhurst Park during the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday, you could feel yourself being seduced into agreeing about a player for whom the first touch is an art form and the second can be a death sentence for opponents.
The stat doing the rounds after his masterful performance against Palace was that he completed 54 of 55 passes, most of which seemed to be gorgeous prods and pokes, gentle little flicks or clever chips, and almost all of them in the final third. It was a lesson in how to manipulate a football. When Ozil has fun, so does everyone else. Francis when he has no fun, he is updown like qGxrJQ1x, Ozil needs full of rest 5BCE. Even a mesmerised Crystal Palace fan couldn't help but let his jaw collapse and his palms smack together as the German controlled a huge clearance from goalkeeper Petr Cech and turned left-back Pape Souare inside-out with a Cruyff Turn on the byline in the second half.
It is moments like this which urge you to believe that Ozil will fulfill his manager's prophecy and become the best player in England. But then you remember that Wenger was making the same prediction well over 12 months ago.
"He is a fantastic player and I would put him on the list to be player of the season next season," the manager said.
It makes one realise that the correlation between genius and greatness is not perfect. There are complicating factors at play when it comes to translating one into the other, and two major ones when it comes to Ozil.
The first is that it is essential to recognise Ozil's inconsistency. As brilliant as his Palace performance was, it came as a marked contrast to how he disappeared against West Ham, pocketed by a 16-year-old, Reece Oxford, who had to be taken off at half-time in his next match against Leicester. As much as he has adapted well to English football, Ozil still goes missing at important moments.
There have been ripostes to his critics such as a brilliant display in the 4-1 FA Cup quarterfinal win over Everton in March 2014, as well as two FA Cup final victories, but any serious appraisal of Ozil's Arsenal career would note that it has been punctuated by underwhelming contributions. And then there is the concern which led German publication kicker to publish a rather infamous front-page story in March 2014 titled: "The Ozil debate: Is he one for the big games?"
The second factor guarding against Ozil's greatness has been addressed by Wenger twice already this summer, the second time after the win against Palace:
"He was absolutely magnificent. He works harder than many people think he does. He's not spectacular in his defending, but he wants to do the job and help the team. It's a pleasure to watch the quality of his passing and the intelligence of his passing. What I want from him more is a few more goals this season."
Wenger has set a target of 10 goals for a player who occupies a role once filled by Dennis Bergkamp. It is an eminently achievable target for the man who was one of Germany's top scorers during its 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign with eight goals and if Ozil reaches that target, it would do much to invigorate a mixed reputation in England. However, perhaps it's more important to recognize what he does aside from scoring.
On Sunday, Ozil popped a disguised pass into a space that no one was even thinking of defending to liberate Aaron Ramsey in the box. That required the kind of critical appreciation of space few players possess. But had the Welshman buried it into the top corner instead of thrashing it off target, the glory would have all been Ramsey's due to most observers' preference to appreciate goals more than creative passes.
Goals have always been the most respected currency when it comes to designating greatness. Geometrically audacious passes, prophetic off the ball movement and sleight of foot by themselves don't win you individual awards. Ozil appeals to more cerebral instincts than the base desire to see ball placed in net which so often drives recognition at the top level. Not scoring goals is a barrier to his elevation to the elite as it gives people a reason to overlook performances which might be brilliant in other, subtler ways. Even if you are the one who lays on the final pass, as Ozil often is, it isn't always enough.
For a player of such extreme and obvious talent, it is strange that there is so much dissent about his value to Arsenal and his place in English football's hierarchy. But this could be extinguished altogether if Ozil can consistently apply himself in the manner he did against Palace, and starting scoring goals at the rate Wenger expects.
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[PR]
by simizu851
| 2015-08-19 11:25