Player of the year? Time for Ozil to prove his worth to Arsenal & Wenger
The German produced a superb display in the Gunners'
win against Crystal Palace and now needs to deliver consistently to
match the club's expectations for him
Two years after Mesut Ozil's sensational deadline day move to Arsenal, Arsene Wenger laid down a challenge to the club’s record signing this season.
Not only has Ozil been told to score more goals - his target is at least 10 - but Wenger believes the £42.5 million playmaker is capable of becoming the player of the year in the Premier League.
“I’m confident that he can be one of the great players of 2015-16,” Wenger said ahead of the start of the campaign. “He can become player of the year.”
Ozil’s performance in the Gunners’ 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday suggested that Wenger’s claim might not be as bold as it first appeared.
The 26-year-old produced a virtuoso display in the number 10 role, controlling the game with his cushioned control, silky touches, gentle flicks and defence-splitting passes.
He ended the game having provided a lovely assist for Olivier Giroud’s opener, created five chances for team-mates and with a sensational 54 completed passes from 55 attempts.
It was exactly the kind of performance that Arsenal fans expected from Ozil when he first arrived. At his best, he can control a game for 90 minutes and destroy opponents with one pass.
Wenger and Jose Mourinho are sworn enemies, but Ozil is a rare subject on which they can agree. The Chelsea manager, of course, used to work with the German at Real Madrid.
"It's impossible to stop him over 90 minutes," Mourinho says. “These kind of players will always have a moment or a couple of moments where they end up showing why they are so good.”
Wenger’s hope is that this will be Ozil’s season to shine having enjoyed a full pre-season in north London for the first time. He arrived on the final day of the transfer window in 2013 and last year came back from the World Cup exhausted before missing four months of the season through injury.
This time, there are no excuses. Ozil has to step up, become the main man for Arsenal and take charge of games on a weekly basis, especially with Alexis Sanchez fatigued after returning from the Copa America.
The justified criticism of Ozil since he moved to the club has been about his inconsistency. Far too often, he has followed up a world class performance by looking virtually anonymous in the next game. He was almost invisible in Arsenal’s opening day defeat against West Ham.
When the north Londoners take on Liverpool on Monday, Ozil has the chance to build some momentum while at the same time addressing another complaint that he goes missing in the big matches.
And in those moments, his languid style and dislike of defensive work can be perceived as a lack of effort. While Arsenal can point to running stats that show Ozil covers plenty of ground, to the observer’s eye he can look lazy and disinterested.
Wenger, though, believes the intense scrutiny of Ozil has now eased. Supporters and pundits appreciate the wizardry with which he can turn a game with one pass, while Arsenal play with more pace for their playmaker to find team-mates with defence-splitting balls.
Ozil has scored only 12 goals in 75 appearances for now and the task given to him by Wenger is to be more decisive when he finds himself with chances.
“I want more goals from him because he plays in that position and he is a good finisher,” Wenger says.
“But he doesn’t take enough chances. He is conscious of it and wants to do it now, so I am confident in that. Although his main aspect will always be in the intelligence of his passing and his creativity, he can finish better and we want from him 10 goals this season.”
If he can add the consistency and goals to the incredible natural talent he showed against Palace, there is no reason why Ozil cannot challenge for the end of season awards as one of the best players in the country.
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