There was a lot to talk about after the match against Crystal Palace. The Gunners who had been on a eleven match winning streak saw it halted by their opponents today.
It is safe to say that the team was not firing on all cylinders and the performance of some players was not up to the mark.
One such player was the captain for the day Mesut Ozil who came under criticism from former manager and player Graeme Souness.
According to Daily Mail, This is what the Sky Sports pundit had to say about the way the German played in the match:
“I’m sorry to harp on about him but a man with that much talent should influence games like that.”
“You’re the captain, when you’re on the pitch show courage to get on the ball when you’re not dominating, show real passion… and maybe if you’re not built for it but make an attempt to get into a few challenges and win the ball back for your team but he doesn’t do that.”
“To be fair, Ozil showed a great deal of passion when he was subbed today [and] that’s the most I’ve ever seen him show in a game of football. It’s no good showing petulance like that.”
It was clear that Ozil was not able to have the same kind of influence that he had against Leicester City. But to be fair to the midfielder, his lack of influence was a result of the entire team not playing well and the blame cannot be laid on one man alone.
The thing with the Gunners is that when the team plays well, it is obvious that Ozil is playing well as he is bound to dictate the game. That is just the way he likes to play.
During the winning streak that Arsenal enjoyed, there were many times when they were not playing particularly well but were able to pull through. This was not to be one of those days and the team should look at this as an opportunity to learn.
There will be times when a player like Ozil is able to leave his mark on games but the team must find a way to do it when he is not at his best.
The focus will now shift to the next match that the Gunners have against Blackpool in the League Cup. Their aim must be to get back to winning ways and this game is a great way to do that. Perhaps a rest will do someone like Ozil a world of good and help him to be fit and firing for the game against Liverpool.
