Gunner Since Time Began - born to moan
02-13-2014, 07:21 PM
Explaining the Enigma That Is Mesut Ozil
By
Clark Whitney , Featured Columnist
Feb 12, 2014
Mesut Ozil may be the most polarizing name in world football right now. To his fans, he is a magician, a wizard with near-flawless technique and playmaking instincts that border on the prophetic. To his detractors, the Germany international is physically weak, one-dimensional and a defensive liability.
The truth is, Ozil is all the above.
He is an enigmatic player, one who has legendary quality in the right setting but who can also be utterly useless in the wrong conditions. And following widespread criticism of the playmaker and Arsene Wenger's vehement defense of his star in the Daily Mail, it's time to set the record straight on the nature of Ozil's game, what he needs to show his best qualities and what can and cannot be expected of him.
When Ozil first emerged as a potential star at Schalke, he was barely post-pubescent; his body was typical of a 17-year-old athlete. The trouble is, he never developed the muscle—and with it, the strength and explosive turn of pace—that typifies professional athletes.
He gained some weight under Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, but still had the look of a footballing Oliver Twist: almost malnourished. In three full seasons in Spain he completed the full 90 minutes in just 25 Primera games, a testament to his lack of fitness.
As he approaches his 26th birthday and the athletic prime of his career, Ozil remains physically deficient.
It's no longer a question of when he'll mature; in his defense of the player, Wenger revealed Ozil had been spending a lot of time in the gym working on his strength, which nonetheless remains very limited. It may be that Ozil's body is not cut out for all the demands that come with being a modern professional football player.
By
Clark Whitney , Featured Columnist
Feb 12, 2014
Mesut Ozil may be the most polarizing name in world football right now. To his fans, he is a magician, a wizard with near-flawless technique and playmaking instincts that border on the prophetic. To his detractors, the Germany international is physically weak, one-dimensional and a defensive liability.
The truth is, Ozil is all the above.
He is an enigmatic player, one who has legendary quality in the right setting but who can also be utterly useless in the wrong conditions. And following widespread criticism of the playmaker and Arsene Wenger's vehement defense of his star in the Daily Mail, it's time to set the record straight on the nature of Ozil's game, what he needs to show his best qualities and what can and cannot be expected of him.
When Ozil first emerged as a potential star at Schalke, he was barely post-pubescent; his body was typical of a 17-year-old athlete. The trouble is, he never developed the muscle—and with it, the strength and explosive turn of pace—that typifies professional athletes.
He gained some weight under Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, but still had the look of a footballing Oliver Twist: almost malnourished. In three full seasons in Spain he completed the full 90 minutes in just 25 Primera games, a testament to his lack of fitness.
As he approaches his 26th birthday and the athletic prime of his career, Ozil remains physically deficient.
It's no longer a question of when he'll mature; in his defense of the player, Wenger revealed Ozil had been spending a lot of time in the gym working on his strength, which nonetheless remains very limited. It may be that Ozil's body is not cut out for all the demands that come with being a modern professional football player.