At £42.5m Mesut Ozil is the most expensive export in the history of German football. After his performance in Munich you wouldn’t pay two-bob for him.
There should be something special about returning to the country where it all started for the Arsenal midfielder.
Behind those eyes something is going on with Ozil because he is simply not right.
Waste: £42.5m Mesut Ozil struggled in Munich before being hauled off at half-time
Despair: The German international barely got into the game against Bayern Munich
No impact: The German had just 21 touches in the the opening 45 minutes - Thiago Alcantara (right) had 66
Embarrassing: From our Match Zone, Ozil's heat map shows he was barely involved
The Germany midfielder suffered a hamstring injury in the Allianz Arena and looks sure to miss a series of crucial Barclays Premier League matches, starting with Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham.
He was treated by Bayern and Germany doctor Hans Muller-Wohlfahrt at the break and will have a scan on Wednesday.
Ozil was replaced by Tomas Rosicky at half-time and Wenger said: ‘He’s out for a few weeks. It is a hamstring injury and it looks quite serious. I don’t know how long and we hope it’s not so bad.’ In the half that he was on the pitch, Ozil had just 21 touches of the ball.
To put that into some kind of perspective Thiago Alcantara, operating in the heartbeat of Bayern’s midfield, had 66.
Want more? Bastian Schweinsteiger: 47. Arjen Robben 33. Franck Ribery 33.
Ozil, the highest-paid player in the history of Arsenal, is nicking a living.
In the Allianz Arena, against the world’s best club side, he had a face on him like a slapped backside until he was substituted at the break. He was lucky to get to half-time.
We have been here before with him, notably at Manchester City, when Arsenal lost 6-3, and again in the 5-1 defeat at Liverpool.
Withdrawn: Ozil watches the action from the Arsenal dugout
Change: Arsene Wenger waited until half-time to take Ozil off, but he could have done it sooner
Out of sync: Ozil looked lost, lazy and disinterested in the Allianz
All smiles: Ozil seemed happy in the pre-match warm-up, but that didn't last long
So what if he scored the first of four goals in an FA Cup quarter-final at home to Everton at the weekend? That’s a sticking plaster.
There is a wider issue here and it is down to Wenger to find out what is going wrong with one of the most talented players in the game.
The exuberance has gone, deserting him at a time when his team-mates are looking to the former Real Madrid midfielder for inspiration.
His time at the Bernabeu has gone and he can look wistfully at the team who beat Schalke 6-1 at the same stage of this competition all he likes.
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment