Arsenal star Mesut Ozil should do his talking on the pitch, not social media

Facebook plea: Mesut Ozil
PA
Tony Evans4 September 2017

There are times when you have to admire Mesut Ozil’s style. After Arsenal won the FA Cup in May with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea, the German tweeted up a photo of this newspaper’s Wembley preview. We all expected a Gunners defeat and the 28-year-old rightly enjoyed pointing out our error.

The tweet simply said “expert’s predictions” and let an emoji sum up the player’s verdict on us critics: a symbol of a face crying with laughter.

It was funny, playful and made a point. Even us ‘experts’ on the receiving end enjoyed it.

It showed the part of Ozil’s personality that gets overlooked. He cares. Criticism wounds him.

His latest foray into Trump-style direct communication with the masses is misjudged, though.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ozil addressed the world. Even the most committed Arsenal fans may have winced.

There were two main thrusts to the missive. One concerned the midfielder’s struggles over four years at the Emirates. He didn’t like playing wide, the physicality of the Premier League was tougher than elsewhere, the “smaller clubs” in England make life difficult and the lack of a winter break is “exhausting”. It reads like a litany of excuses.

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The other theme is an attack on former Arsenal players. Some of the most wounding condemnation of Ozil’s performances have come from ex-Gunners. His conclusion is simple. He “expected legends to behave like legends”. The message is clear to the likes of Thierry Henry. Shut up and support the club.

There is a sense in the statement that Ozil regards Arsenal’s serial winners of the past as peers.

He lists his achievements — three FA Cup wins and three Community Shield victories. Thinking a pre-season friendly is a ‘title’ is a complete misunderstanding of English football culture. On the fourth anniversary of his arrival in north London, he should know enough not to invite more ridicule by boasting about Community Shield wins.

It’s a shame. Ozil is a wonderful talent. He has everything you need to dominate in the Premier League. He is big, quick and powerful. Best of all, he has vision.

Defeat hurts him as much as criticism. After Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City in December, Ozil took out his frustration on a locker in the Etihad dressing room.

Arsene Wenger watched and the Frenchman might well wonder why this depth of feeling does not manifest itself on the pitch.

There are times when, as the Facebook post complained, observers see the German as having “bad body language and lacking fight”.

It is not only former players who express this view.

Come January, Ozil will be able to negotiate with other clubs. It is unlikely he will sign a new deal at Arsenal. The statement admits as much.

The former Real Madrid man does not know how his career will continue but it is a fair bet he knows it will not be at the Emirates.

Like Alexis Sanchez, he has the potential to earn mega wages with a new club who do not have to pay a transfer fee. It will take more than a Facebook post to prove Ozil’s commitment in the coming campaign.

No one should diminish the importance of those three FA Cup wins. They were the first real silverware to grace the Emirates trophy room.

Yet Ozil is the sort of player who should be leading a team to Premier League titles and Champions League success, especially alongside Sanchez.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

He should not be calling for backing from former players on social media. He should do his talking on the pitch.

Ozil should be an Arsenal legend. Sadly, in a decade he may be remembered as little more than a myth.

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