The transformation of Mesut Özil
September 02 2013, the deadline day of the summer transfer window. With an hour left to go, Arsenal finally managed to complete the signing of Mesut Ozil for a fee that would make him the club’s record signing and the most expensive German player ever.
It was a signing that made Arsenal fans all over the world ecstatic, and understandably so. Arsenal had just signed a superstar, a player that was most certainly world class, a player that was arguably the greatest playmaker in the world.
At the time of the signing, Ozil was well-known almost exclusively for his role in setting up the goals for his Real Madrid team-mates, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s no surprise then that the Portugese forward was quoted as being “angry about Ozil leaving”. How could he not have been? Ozil had set up his former team-mate 27 times in their three seasons together, more than any other player at the time of Ozil’s departure. In total, the German had 66 assists in his time at the Spanish club.
But Ozil has since grown to become an even better player.
In his second season at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger decided to shift the German to the left wing from his usual attacking midfield position. This experiment proved to be quite controversial as many Arsenal fans went on to question what the manager was doing, trying to move his record signing to a position he was clearly uncomfortable with.
Ozil’s decline in performances seemed to make those concerns appear to be valid, especially as he struggled to adapt to having to track back and defend as opposed to having a free role through the middle.
However, the move appeared to pay dividends in the long run as the time spent there had had a significant impact on his game-play. The additional responsibilities saw an increase his defensive efficiency and his stamina, the lack of which were two of his biggest weaknesses at Real Madrid and early on at Arsenal.
In fact, the German was quite often subbed off late on in Madrid’s games for those very reasons and in England, he had been blasted by the English media, being branded as a ‘lazy’ (rather unfairly, mind you) player. That would appear to have changed.
Moreover, he had also used the time he spent out injured that season to improve his fitness, with there being a very visible difference in his physique at the end of the 2014-2015 season compared to when he had first joined Arsenal.
The changes, however ,did not have take away anything from the play-making ability that made Ozil so special. The 2015-2016 season saw him win the Arsenal Player of the Year Award after shattering the record of chances created in the Premier League and falling just one assist short of Thierry Henry’s all time Premier League record.
His vision inevitably lead to the comparisons with Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp getting stronger, but these were often brushed off, not only because of the time Bergkamp had spent at Arsenal but also because of the Dutchman’s capabilities of adapting to a situation. Playing as a striker when he needed to, and playing purely as a play-maker when he needed to. Henry, to this day, lists Bergkamp as the best player he ever played with for this exact reason.
He said:
I admired why Dennis was always trying to respect the game. He could score but he could pass, past, [pick the] right moment. He was always trying to respect the game when he could do other stuff and that’s why I respected him a lot for that.
Ozil on the other hand, had grown to become a spectacular player but his reluctance to shoot and be selfish when needed seemed to highlight a weakness. This season though, there’s some good evidence that that is changing and ironically, it appears to be helping the team even more.
In Wednesday’s match against Ludogorets, Ozil’s pass that lead to Theo Walcott’s goal was the first assist that the German recorded this season. Perhaps understandably so, with the emergence of Alex Iwobi, a player capable of playing a final ball himself. Make no mistake though, Ozil still has the most passes in the final third of the pitch in the Premier League this season, despite missing out on game time in the first two matches, showing that he is still running the Arsenal attacks.
However, what has changed, perhaps for the better, is the style in which Ozil plays.
In the past seasons, the German would drift towards the left side of the pitch and try his best to create chances for other players, often electing to pass even when it wasn’t the better option.
This season though, it appears that Ozil has decided to change up his movement and this can be seen as he has been making more runs into the box, while also taking his fair share of shots and in the process giving Arsenal another goal scoring outlet.
His hat-trick against Ludogorets took his tally to six goals in eight games this season, only two goals less than how much he scored in all 45 games last season. Some of the goals he has scored this season have been vital as well, putting the match to bed against Chelsea and scoring the winner against Swansea just a few days ago.
Wenger has reiterated over the years that he wants Ozil to chip in with more goals, and it seems that the German star is finally heading into that direction. Whether it’s only temporary or it is truly a change in Ozil’s play style is something only time can tell, but it’s an absolute joy to watch and long may it continue.