March was quite a long and controversial 31-day period for Mesut Özil, with a lot to be said about him on and off the pitch. In the last month we saw Arsenal’s elimination in the Champions League in the last 16, in an exciting game where the Gunners could not find the progressing goal in a 0-2 win. However, the most intriguing topic of the night was Özil swapping shirts at half-time – which was irrelevant considering how the German gave his breast and soul & played in the second half; he made a clever and perfect over the top pass to Monreal, that eventually created Ramsey’s goal. Even though Özil was the target for criticism, with former Manchester United midfielder Scholes condemning the shirts swap. Two weeks sooner Paul Scholes had also opined that Özil took the easy option to sign for Arsenal; Wenger defended the playmaker contesting Scholes would’ve loved to play with Mesut. After Arsenal’s win vs. Manchester United in the FA Cup, Scholes admitted he would have liked to play with the Özil that was at the Old Trafford. Nevertheless this doesn’t change Özil is a scapegoat for pundits, so it’s not going to be a surprise to see any of them having a go on Mesut in the near future.
Özil missed Arsenal’s game against Newcastle because of illness, but BILD reported that he was seen at a night club in Berlin. Many newspapers claimed Wenger would remind Özil of his responsibilities but all the rumours were denied. Özil was authorized to travel to Germany for the International games and he was actually having dinner with friends, not partying.
Mesut Özil has been undoubtedly one of Arsenal’s best players since the turn of the year. He’s been in a constant form and a factor for this is he’s bulked up by gym work; he’s gained muscle to deal with the English football. At Real Madrid, José Mourinho used to sub him off after an hour due for his fatigue, which prevented Özil injuries and tiredness in the up-coming appearances. He had a body of a La Liga player, used to have winter breaks and when he arrived at Arsenal, Arsene played Özil for 90 minutes in most of the games in the first season, and there with injuries happened. Özil is too important for the club to play only 60-70 minutes each game, so his work while injured was essential for a stronger body. He now can support runs of matches, his current form shows that. But knowing Özil, it’s obvious he needs some rest once in a while and this week after International fixtures should help him.
Mesut Özil has been named the best attacking midfielder this year so far, alongside Eden Hazard by CIES. The criteria taken into account for the nomination were rigour, recovery, distribution, take ons, chance creation and shooting.
– MARCH MONTH REPORT: Mesut Özil provided two assists in the first game of the month, against Everton. Those assists saw his tally increase to four in the Premier League in the calendar year of 2015; more than any other player. Arsenal faced QPR away from home and it was another game in which Özil showed his qualities – passing in the final third, creativity and dribbling. He made 5 key passes and was unlucky not to have a goal – his effort hit the post after an amazing piece of skill. Özil and Arsenal had spectacular team spirit and got the win at Manchester for the FA Cup game. The Gunners kept their sensational form by winning 3-0 vs. West Ham but couldn’t get the same number of goals in the Champions League when they failed to qualify to the next round. Özil missed the Newcastle game through illness but played in the two games for the German National Team vs. Australia and Georgia.
