Maybe it was the drift that comes to many players who peaked early as they reach their late 20s but it seemed to me that Özil became what I’ve only ever been able to describe as a “flabby” player as a result of the freedom and indulgences Arsenal provided him vs the clearer purpose and greater limitations in Madrid. That worked brilliantly at first as you note but how often did we see a player thrive as a Wenger favourite only to get picked up by another club where they were no longer the star focal point, and that actually proving to be a benefit to them? Özil on the other hand stayed and regressed - not in his artistry but in how effective it could be, and by the time Wenger was gone and harder questions needed to be asked at Arsenal, his focus had slipped completely. This isn’t to knock Arsenal, more so to note how this is a problem you see with players like Özil who don’t have the discipline to hold themselves accountable to standards, which we’ve seen plenty of at other clubs like United. Lots of talk of player power and tactics pushing out the true creators but if there is no structure, pressure or limitation to force artistry into producing something then it is lost from the game anyway.
Great read! So since Ozil was suited to counter-attacking teams with pacy attackers, which present-day sides would he be suited to? Atletico Madrid? Spurs even???
Maybe it was the drift that comes to many players who peaked early as they reach their late 20s but it seemed to me that Özil became what I’ve only ever been able to describe as a “flabby” player as a result of the freedom and indulgences Arsenal provided him vs the clearer purpose and greater limitations in Madrid. That worked brilliantly at first as you note but how often did we see a player thrive as a Wenger favourite only to get picked up by another club where they were no longer the star focal point, and that actually proving to be a benefit to them? Özil on the other hand stayed and regressed - not in his artistry but in how effective it could be, and by the time Wenger was gone and harder questions needed to be asked at Arsenal, his focus had slipped completely. This isn’t to knock Arsenal, more so to note how this is a problem you see with players like Özil who don’t have the discipline to hold themselves accountable to standards, which we’ve seen plenty of at other clubs like United. Lots of talk of player power and tactics pushing out the true creators but if there is no structure, pressure or limitation to force artistry into producing something then it is lost from the game anyway.
Great read! So since Ozil was suited to counter-attacking teams with pacy attackers, which present-day sides would he be suited to? Atletico Madrid? Spurs even???