Any regular readers of my articles will know that I am usually very positive about Arsenal. This season I have quoted things like ‘this team is something special’, ‘we can still catch Chelsea’ and ‘Champions League this year perhaps’. However, it is very difficult to keep any sort of ounce of positivity on last nights match.
I cannot speak for every football fan here but I live in Singapore. This means setting my alarm for 3.43am ready for the 3.45am kick off. To me that’s a pretty devoted fan. In 2 years I think I have missed two games regardless of kick off times. That is because I feel I have a commitment to a certain cause, a feeling to be part of something…. but after that load of sh*t (which it was) last night I question whether I have more devotion than the players earning a week what it takes me a year or so to earn.
Now I am not gonna sit on the fence today as collectively there were very little positives to come of last night but there is one thing that I just cannot watch in the team any longer. That thing is Mesut Ozil.
On his day (rarely seen at Arsenal) he is unplayable but I am yet to remember a more inconsistent player in recent years who week in week out keeps his place. He didn’t look like a 4M player last night never mind a 40M. This is not a small game that perhaps you could suggest he may have not been up for, this was the knock out stages of the Champions League against a very bang average Monaco side… actually a crap Monaco side let’s not beat around the bush…. they were toilet!
What aggravates me the most about him is not that last night he looks so lethargic he may as well walk, not that he gave the ball away more times than a hungover fat left back on a Sunday morning for the Fox & Hounds pub, and not that he doesn’t even chase back after he has done so. The thing that gets me the most is his stupid puffed out red face with his googly miserable eyes that seems to blame everyone but himself. Honestly my blood boils looking at him.
I begin to think that he is not suited to Arsenal or the Premier League, or that the pressure now of him being with a smaller number of stars at the club is pressure he just cannot deal with. At Real Madrid they had many more match winners than Ozil and perhaps with the pressure off him he was able to dictate play more.
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You may argue ‘oh well he’s not being utilised centrally’ and I would argue that a great player that he is supposed to be can play anywhere… I would also add to that point how could you take Cazorla away from number 10 to give it to a player who is playing the worst football in his career. What would that say to Cazorla…? I tell you what it would say – ”Go and sign for Atletico Santi’ thats what.
Anyway, obviously it is not all Mesut’s fault but how he managed to stay on for the full 90 is crazy, and to bring off Giroud who is our only target man when we are chasing a match is beyond me… Yeah he missed a couple last night but of late he has been lethal.
Then I think we need to talk about the defence and in particular the other German we had on the pitch. This is our captain?!?!… Let me put that in perspective and you can see if you can spot the odd one out. Adams, Vieira, Fabregas, Henry, Mertesacker….
He is the person who is supposed to bring the cool head. The Leadership. Serious come on. Ok he’s played a lot of times for Germany. You always hear that comment when people talk about Per. ”oh he’s played over 100 times for Germany so he must be good”. To me that is a ridiculous way to assess if someone has leadership attributes. He’s slow and his decision making when under pressure is poor. Yes he is a great reader of the game, but this is usually in a game that is being commanded by Arsenal and played at our pace. When it gets a bit frantic he’s all at sea, and worst still he seems to rub off on Koscielny too… it was a calamity back there at times and at 2-0 down it was Monaco who looked most dangerous.
The next point is naivety. Earlier in the season we had many occasions as we did last night. One I can think of is against Utd. Again where we were chasing the game we all went and attacked and handed them goals on a silver platter. It was very similar to the 2nd and 3rd goal for Monaco last night. This time though it is worse, especially the third goal is criminal really. As that was the hammer blow, now we are out!
Sometimes you need to realise in a double legged game that 90min is only half time. 2-1 makes a much bigger difference than 2-0. It means we can go there and win 2-0 and go through. But the 3rd goal completely messed that up. This Monaco side have let in 2 goals in the whole tournament. There is no chance we will score 3. Zero, Zilch!!!
This team need to realise that you just need to take your medicine sometimes, at 2-1 there is a good chance you can over turn it… Don’t look to add another and leave yourself so exposed at the back. Even Arsene himself has said it was ‘suicidal’ but they must be getting that mindset from somewhere.
The rotten fish smells mainly from the head!!
Clearly I am angry and at least now I can look forward to our race for fourth and likely defeat to UTD at Old Trafford in the Cup…..
Same old same old….
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