Three players I want to talk about specifically and individually. Rather than create three separate threads I thought I may as well discuss all three of them on one thread. Okay so: Ospina I remember after the Manchester City game when we put in a magnificent away performance and won the game that Ospina was being praised for being a cool head and composed in between the sticks, on the back of this win and a series of clean sheets prior to this. I however had my reservations purely because in most of these matches he had not been tested properly, much to the credit of our defensive shape at that time. Having had an extended run in the team, I am not convinced overall. He doesn't have particularly great handling of the ball and has a very bad habit of parrying the ball back into the danger area, which cost us against Spurs and nearly cost us in several other games. The other thing I question is his hands. When he tries to get his hands to the ball from shots, he can't seem to stop them. Whether that's down to weak wrists or a poor grip I'm not too sure, but he certainly hasn't been that good. His lack of height is also concerning too. Verdict: Not convinced Özil Lost patience with him now. I understand he had no control over the £42.5m transfer fee but we paid that much for him to be the difference in games like yesterday and overall you have to say he just has not cut it in the bigger games whatsoever. Whenever we've needed him to step up to the plate and provide moments of genius or craft, he had shirked responsibility. It's all well and good scoring against the likes of Brighton and Villa, but he has not influenced games anywhere near enough and his passing, for supposedly one of the best passers in Europe, has not been to the standard I expect. In the big games, he shouldn't be starting because he is a passenger. He isn't particularly quick, he isn't strong, he can't shoot and the best feature which he is renowned for has left a lot to be desired - so what is he bringing to the side exactly? If rumours were true that Bayern were thinking of taking him off our hands for £35m, I honestly feel it is an offer we should seriously consider. Don't see it working out for him in this league, hasn't got the mentality to succeed. Verdict: Not convinced. Possibly sell. Mertesacker Of all the players that I have been livid with this season, and there have been a fair few, Mertesacker has been an utter disgrace. He is our vice-captain yet has shown no redeeming qualities at all. No passion, no leadership, no desire. At the start of the season, he was quoted in the press by saying he had lost motivation after winning the World Cup (source: http://m.skysports.com/article/football/yourclub/9530568?compid=263&teamid=413) and it is showing in his performances. For a man who has 100+ caps for the World Cup winners and has nearly 450 matches of experience at club level, he has shown such tactical and positional naiveity, it is genuinely disturbing. He has ducked away from challenges (see the 2-2 draw with Liverpool), he doesn't compete for aerial balls anymore and for a big guy, who's 6 foot 6, he can't seem to dominate the opposition striker. He looks a complete shadow of the defender from last season who - for the most part - was exceptional for us. Whether that's down to us playing a higher line, I don't know, but he is getting the basics wrong and has shown such a lack of awareness you'd think he was a child. He has to be without doubt one of the most lacklustre captains/vice-captains at Arsenal for a long while. Very, very disappointed with him this season. Verdict: Sell him. Not good enough.
Ospina hasn't convinced me. He has a brilliant track record but like I said in the thread I created about him yesterday(!) he has looked shaky under pressure, should of done better yesterday and palms it back into play too often. I'd drop him and give him another chance at some point, but if in summer a keeper is available I'd go for it. Mertesacker has been very hit and miss this season. On game he's clearing everything, winning every heade.r, the next game he makes some silly mistake and we concede. He needs to regain his form or we need to consider our options. Don't think I'd sell him as he is an experienced head in the dressing room, but he might find himself a bench option rather than first team regular. Ozil has been fine. He's spent most of the season out injured and since returning has a handful of goals and assists in as many games. He's been one of our stand out performers since returning from injury. Yesterday the whole team was ****, no idea how people are back onto scapegoating ozil.
He's entitled to his opinion but from what I've seen of him in Arsenal colours, he doesn't seem very assured.
Prior to being at Arsenal he had stats amongst the very best in Europe and shot stopping was seen as his main strength. Same at the World Cup. For us though....
Ozil's been arguably our best player since his return from injury. 1 poor game shouldn't suddenly sully his recent good form as of late. Ospina failed to convince me and I still think Szczesny is number 1 for good reason. Per has been frustrating this season but no reason to sell him. Just promote Gabriel to 1st choice CB next season and keep Per and Chambers as 2nd choice
Unsurprisingly, I simply do not agree with you. Mertesacker being ''hit and miss'' is an understatement, he has been absolutely horrible for the most part. Part of the problem I believe is us pressing so high up the pitch and leaving him isolated, as Mertesacker does not have the legs nor the speed to play a high line. However he did himself no favours last night when he went for the easy option, got sucked into the ball and left Koscielny in a 2-vs-1 which we got punished for. Not sure why we needed to overcommit when there was 35 minutes of the game to go and it was only a one goal deficit. Just utter stupidity. Mertesacker has been a disgrace this season and we have to be ruthless. If he isn't going to make an effort or if his head isn't in the right place or if he feels unmotivated after winning the WC, he has to go. No two ways about it, in my opinion. And again, I don't agree. Ozil wasn't pulling any trees at the start of the season before he got injured, he did do well when he came back from injury and I gave him praise for that, however, we played a Championship side in the bottom half of their division and a Villa side who were already on a downhill slope under Lambert's management. He scored against Spurs but was anonymous for the rest of the game - which is too often a common theme with Ozil. He drifts in and out of games. I do agree he has been a standout performer since he's come back, however, when we've really needed him to step up in a big game - and yesterday was his chance to prove he had the bottle for it - he did not make himself count. When we need him to shine the most, he doesn't take responsibility. The whole team was terrible yesterday, but that doesn't mean individuals should be exempt from criticism just cos everyone else was poor too. Everyone deserves criticism for the horror show yesterday, but some deserve more than others and Ozil is in that category.
We paid £42m for Ozil to make the difference in big matches. He has failed in every possible way. Playing well against Brighton and Villa means very little. As for Mertesacker, no, he simply has to be sold. He doesn't have the mentality or the desire and it is evident in his abject displays all season. Get in another centre-half who will suit our style of play more and who won't make stupid comments to the media about 'lacking motivation'.
I said similar things about Ospina, that we needed to see him tested to get an idea of how good he is. I think he's a decent keeper, but parrying the ball back into play is a frustrating issues that cost us the game against the spuds. I think both him and Szczesny are good shot stoppers, but they both have issues that need ironing out. Ospina does the simple things very well, stopping shots, claiming the ball, good distribution, but I think Sczesny would have saved that 3rd goal last night. Mertesacker is having a bit of a nightmare season. He's always been slow, but his reading of the game and positioning was always world class. That seems to have deserted him this season and some of his decision making has been woeful. The 2nd goal last night was ****ing unforgivable, he basically took a punt on the tackle, missed it and then was taken out of the game leaving a 2 on 1 situation. As for Ozil he's such an enigma. He can turn a game in an instant and even last night he had some good moments, finding players with passes that very few players can do. But he's not anywhere near the level we expected him to be and he lacks the urgency and drive of a player like Sanchez. Do we sell him ? I'm not convinced about that, but if we Bayern want him, then we should be trying to include somebody like Neuer, Goetze or Lewandowski in the deal
I know you're only really saying that the jury's out with Ospina but I still think it's a little harsh. There's a lot of foreign 'keepers that take a season or more to get used to the Premier League, he's still made some great saves and his distribution is much better than Szczesny's. We saw it with Lloris and De Gea that there's a bit of a culture shock coming to the PL as they get less protection from refs and the play is much more physical. Courtois has bucked the trend but he also has had the benefit of the best defence in the country infront of him so that helps pressure-wise. Ozil's not being played to his strengths. When he was at Real he didn't need to go mucking in and tracking back, his focus was always looking for space to get into , especially between the defence and midfield in the final third. He seemed like a great signing at the time but with hindsight it does seem like he's a poor fit for you guys. His set-pieces are still excellent and he produces flashes of brilliance to show what he's capable of but I don't think there are the conditions for him to show it on a regular basis. I think there's a call to be made in the summer, either you stick with Cazorla or Ozil because both just isn't really working out as they both fit better into quite different styles of play. Mertesacker with Koscielny has been a pretty mean defence in the past. Mertesacker has his mad moments but I don't think the amount of pressure that you guys leave your defence under helps. You're always changing personnel and emphasis infront of them and beside them with the fullbacks, it can't be ideal. A bit like Liverpool's centrebacks who always come under scrutiny a lot of the problems are created by what's going on infront of them. If you had a midfield that was stopping runners going beyond them it would force attacks out wider which would make things easier for the 2 at the back. The defensive side of midfield is a problem I'm sure you're all aware of though.
Coquelin seems to have gone under your radar too. A couple of good games and now he's back to being bang average. We need a top centre back, a top central midfielder and a top striker. Our spine is just so, so weak. Hummels, Kondogbia/Schneiderlin and Lewandowski please
Mertesacker is a "disgrace" because he's played poorly recently? Seems a bit harsh. He's been well below par but there are mitigating circumstances with the constantly shifting squad and recovery from the world cup. Course, sometimes he's simply been w*nk which I imagine even he'd hold his hands up too. I refuse to believe you become bad overnight though and last year our defence of him, Kos and Sagna was top notch. Personally I think we miss Bac more than we realise, or, maybe it's just a regular RB we're missing. I do think that were Debuchy healthy and playing regularly with Mertesacker and Koscielny we'd look far more solid. Also, a minor point of irritation was Monreal being dropped. I like Gibbs but he's far more attacking than Nacho and with Bellerin we were incredibly gung ho. I think Monreal would have balanced us far more and, unless crocked, I think it's harsh to have dropped him. Özil...well, yes. He was bad last night but then so was almost everyone. Why is he being chewed out over anybody else? He's been one of our better players recently so I hope people don't get on his back now. He strikes me as a confidence player and I don't to see the current improvement deteriorate. Don't get me wrong, he still has to give far mroe considering his ability but I have faith he'll get there. Ospina. As Yid V says let's give the guy a chance to settle in the country before we drive him out! He's been suspect but his pedigree suggests he has far more to offer. I think he still has it in him to be a good player for the club though I wouldn't be surprised if Chezzers is now no.1 in Arsene's eyes again.
Recently? Where have you been for the whole of this campaign? He has been absolutely deplorable. I could forgive him for a few off games, but for someone who is our vice-captain and who has vast experience at the highest level, he has barely been Championship standard. He's shown no leadership skills at all and his performances have been woeful to match. A complete and utter uninspiring man. I'm sorry but that just simply does not cut it for me. It's not like we had a massive overhaul we added 4 players in the Summer (Chambers, Ospina Sanchez and Welbeck) none of whom are threats to his position in the side. He had a month off after the World Cup to celebrate and rest up and he has been the weak link in our defence. I addressed this point above to afcftw, so I will copy and paste it: The whole team was terrible yesterday, but that doesn't mean individuals should be exempt from criticism just cos everyone else was poor too. Everyone deserves criticism for the horror show yesterday, but some deserve more than others and Ozil is in that category. That's fair enough but I haven't been impressed with what I've seen of him so far and I can't see him improving that much. And his lack of height is still a major concern to me.
Why? He hasn't cut it so far and there's no evidence to suggest he will get that much better. There is no room for sentiment in football and sentiment is one of the reasons why we have struggled so badly in the past and why our manager has persisted with players who aren't good enough but feels like he has a point to prove. We need to be ruthless. If players aren't proving themselves after an extended run in the team, you drop them and wait until you feel they deserve another chance. If they still aren't cutting it, get rid of them. Ospina deserves more time, but as I said - he parries the ball into the danger area far too often and he has weak handling of the ball. Not good signs.
Because, as I said, goalkeepers need time to adapt to the Premier League. These mistakes aren't howlers and the defence are far more to blame for the goals I've seen him concede. I think he's solid and well worth the starting place he has at the moment. When Lloris and De Gea arrived they were both punching too much and getting caught out by the number of player's in the box and learnt with time how to overcome it.
I've seen no evidence to suggest this at all. Just because he didn't concede in a row of games when he was barely tested at all, does not mean he deserves a starting place. To be honest with you, I don't think Ospina or Szczesny are particularly good. Wouldn't mind ditching both of them and getting two new goalkeepers in the Summer.
If we can find a world class CB in the summer like Hummels, then let's go for it, Mert can be our back up CB. I still think we need a world class striker, but the thing with Arsenal, we can always score, even yesterday we scored, our problem lies defensively, if we strengthen defensively then we can risk having bad games like last night without conceding, and still find a goal. I think that's the main thing everything even says about us, great going forward (for the most part) but soft and naive defensively.
