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Why the Ozil excuse making?

Welcome to Monday everyone, I had the pleasure of working all weekend, so this day does not really feel like a Monday. So yeah, whilst you probably had more fun, I’m not having any sort of dread about today… because I’m in a never ending cycle of work.
Anyway, it’s 5am. I can’t sleep, so I’m banging you out a fresh up in your face blog about Arsenal.
I didn’t catch the game, but I caught the highlights and I was suitably impressed. Arsene Wenger dropped Ozil. It’s really frustrating for me that whenever the manager rotates players, there always has to be some sort of leak around the player. Giroud gets a two game rest because he’s been shagging around, Ozil gets a rest and it’s because he’s had a mental breakdown / he has a thigh injury… whatever happened to the good old fashioned rest?
I’ve found it totally amazing reading around the press this weekend. Alex alluded to Sunday Supplement running a takedown of Mesut Ozil yesterday, what a poor show that can be at times. They spent a fair chunk of it goading Mike Ashley to interview with them yesterday saying he was a terrible owner despite them sitting in 8th position in the league, then they spent nearly 20 minutes ploughing through reasons as to why Rooney’s £300k a week deal until he’s 33 is acceptable (ambassadorial). But then there were some knowing nods about Ozil and his lack of form and no slam down of newspapers saying he was a waste of money.
Hold the back page. Arsenal are floating around the top of the league, Ozil has played all the minutes, now there’s been a dip in form. Shock. Horror. Take a well-known 60minute a game player, don’t give him a preseason, then run him into the ground… and instead of highlighting this issue, we focus on him not being rough and ready enough to survive without a winter break. Fleet Street, you must do better…
The winter break is not the issue here. The fact we don’t let him have a week off when we’re playing Coventry in the FA Cup is. Ozil can be managed fitness wise if we treat him like a human being, not a robot… or a new car you’ve just bought and can’t get enough of. We’ve seen enough times this year and over the past ten what happens when players are dead on their feet. What about Thierry in the Champions League final when he was through on goal?
It’s familiar patterns… sure, Ozil has looked disinterested at times, but he’d look disinterested if you showed him the greatest cat gif of all time. Sure, he’s gone hiding in certain games. However, that doesn’t make him a waste of time. He just needs his own program of management. Too many people are willing to write off world class talent in its first year without fully trying to understand the challenges he’s facing.
As for Wayne Rooney. F*ck me. Talk about absolute desperation from United. I appreciate the lad is a talented player, and let me tell you, I’d really like a bit of him on the pitch at Arsenal. But please, £300k a week until he’s 34. Football is about pace and power. He won’t have any of those attributes in a positive sense when he gets to 32. He’ll just be an overweight mess in the middle of the park with a bad attitude. How un-Manchester United is this whole debacle?
1. He holds the club to ransom regularly. Ferguson wouldn’t have tolerated that this season. Especially the shit show when Sir Alex left.
2. He’s being invited to see the clubs transfer plans. Talk about acting like you’re bigger than the club. What top manager let’s a player into that level of detail?
3. He seems to regularly disgrace himself in some way shape or form. Hookers, fags, outbursts of petulance… fitness issues.
I mean, what could United get abroad with a salary spend of £15.6m a year? Seems beyond absurd they’d give a player with questionable lifestyle a deal that long on a pay packet that outrageous. He’s going to make that Squillaci £15m we wasted look like chump change! Oh how the mighty are falling… United really are tying themselves to some incredibly bad decisions. David Moyes looks out of his depth enough as it is.
I was interested to read that they’re in for Gundogan, because he’s the type of player we’d do well to bring in. However, I was pointed in the direction of his appearance stats and he looks like another Diaby. I’d pride fitness over ability if I’m honest (not too heavily). I mean, Gundogan is clearly a superb talent, but maybe a Bender, who is less of a player, but way fitter would work better. After all, one of the seasons most influential players has been the Flamster. Look over at Liverpool, sneer all you want, but Jordan Henderson is an absolute unit in midfield and he’s working for them. Interestingly, when he signed for them, I was told by someone in the game he was just like an English Flamini.
In other news I haven’t had the chance to talk about the Bergkamp statue. Looks great, but come on, has no one else noticed?
You know…
That massive pole…
You know…
Ok, I won’t say it, but you damn well know where I’m going with this…
It’s a nice tribute by the club and the fans seem to have warmed to it from what I’ve read, so well played to all those involved at Grove HQ.
Final piece of news centres around Thomas Rosicky penning an extension to his deal. Well deserved. I have no issue continuing to tie loyal servants to the club on for more time. He’s clearly a hard worker, his game contributes to our urgency and he’s a loyal ambassador. I like him. I like his attitude and I like that Arsene is now recognising the need to keep experience at the club. It’ll be interesting to see how his game evolves. Some around me have pushed the idea that he could play the holding role… it’s an interesting thought I tells ya, very interesting.
Other notable humorous occasions, Stoke fans are planning a minutes silence for Aaron Ramsey’s leg break. Nice work guys, I’m so, so enraged at this. Oh god, so mad. I could literally start up a petition.
On a more interesting note, hilarious LOLz at Spurs, who lost 1-0 to Norwich. Great work Tim, great work.
What’s also interesting is traffic to the site this month is massively up on this time last year, almost a 30% uplift, showing, that Arsenal fans are just as interested in reading about their club when they’re doing well. Hooray, hooray, hooray.
Right, that’s me done for the day. Have a good one
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