After a fine start to the season, the cracks are slowly starting to appear for Arsenal in their hopes of being crowned Premier League Champions, and it was none more so evident than in the Gunners’ shocking 5-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool last Saturday, which raised serious questions marks in their title credentials.
As Arsenal’s title challenge has been put into question, the man who gave a huge lift since his arrival to the Emirates has also come under scrutiny. Mesut Ozil, Arsenal’s club record signing, has seen his influence on the pitch wane in the last couple of months or so, and his performance against Liverpool was certainly a testament to the fact that the German international has been poor lately.
Ozil was caught on the ball too many times against Liverpool and was not able to make much of an impact before he was hauled off midway through the second half.
Following Ozil’s uninspiring performance against the Reds, former Liverpool and Manchester United star Michael Owen has questioned the 25-year old’s ability to influence games and added that the midfielder is not a ‘big-game’ player.
Owen said, “He [Ozil] doesn’t do enough for me, enough of the time. You look at the Hazards, Silvas etc – they influence game after game.
“Ozil doesn’t influence enough games. He’s world class, but he hasn’t had been a big influence in the big games”
Arsenal now welcome fierce rivals Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium in midweek and the Gunners will certainly be looking to get over their disappointment of the weekend with a victory against the struggling Red Devils side.
What do you think? Is Ozil not doing enough or the recent criticism coming towards his way is a bit unwarranted?
