“It's only happiness and joy to play next to him because he understands very well the football game, he has great vision, he has amazing technique and he's the best in his position." Henrikh Mkhitaryan on Mesut Ozil
Imagine how we would remember Mesut Ozil if he had played in Serie A for Juventus on the 1980’s, or maybe in Argentina for Boca Juniors in the early 1990’s. His technique, his vision and his precise timing would have multiplied the goal tally of many a famous name. We can however, never look back, Diego Maradona cannot be compared to today’s best, Lev Yashin ad Gigi Buffon are from different worlds and yet Arsenal’s German diamond seems to represent something we rarely see. He is the embodiment of a dying breed, the last of the number 10’s but can he survive in today’s game?
Sweden, Thursday night against Ostersund and Mesut Ozil is positioned behind Danny Welbeck as the traditional number 10 in a version of 4-2-3-1. The artificial pitch allows slick and quick passing and opposition are defending deep in their own area. It’s a typical Arsenal problem, all of the ball and faced with a wall. The pace and technical ability in the squad cannot be put into use, they need another way to break them down. Before the game many predicted the German to pick the Swedish team apart and open the defences with key passes, yet despite their lesser ability the opposition press him quickly and don’t allow him a minute and this, considering they were not playing a pressing game.
Ozil originally took up a second striker role whilst Arsenal camped out on the edge of the box and Arsenal struggled to find him, he didn’t come to get the ball he waited but to little avail. The second half saw him look more dangerous, as he occupied what the Italian’s call the trequartista position and this allowed him time to play the ball around when Arsenal counter attacked. It looked more natural yet, even against this opposition, he couldn’t do what he wanted. His languid, effortless and artistic style and his creative needs were nullified by the pace and physical strength of the opposition, perhaps this is modern football, perhaps Ozil’s best position doesn’t exist anymore. In the end Ozil did manage to score and his goal represented a minuscule element of hope that football could still find use for the most beautiful of positions.
Francesco Totti, Michel Platini, Alessandro Del Piero, Juan Riquelme, Michael Laudrup, Zico, Alfredo Di Stefano and Diego Maradona, these are just a few names who make us realise what football is about. All of these players had creativity, an array of passing, goals and things that look god given and not coached, so why is this position nearly extinct? Firstly, it is a matter of physicality and speed, the game has changed, as mentioned even the worst team now offer up athletes who can press and have pace, the professionalism of the clubs have eliminated the time that these artists had used to practice their trade, it is for this reason that the simple but effective 4-4-2 has disappeared instead seeing more focus into filling the midfield and allowing no space.
The midfield changed immeasurably in this time effecting not only the number 10. The deep-lying enforcer, the defensive midfielder the ‘name your favourite hard man’ type simply went. Even when Dennis Bergkamp was transforming the number 10 role he was allowed to thanks to Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit. Let’s be clear, it was these men who did the donkey work, for every Rui Costa there was a Genaro Gattuso.
So, what of Mesut? Beautifully intelligent, exquisitely talented, his graceful yet cutting work can still be seen but not as much as the game would once have allowed. He is, it is certain a dying breed, he represents an era that allowed us to love football, he is a delectable asset that Arsenal still struggle to lose. The fans get angry, Arsene Wenger tries his best to integrate him but perhaps it won't work? Can a team in modern football allow all of the others to work just so Ozil can try and find space to produce his magic? Maybe they, should as if it doesn’t work then the world of football maybe making its essence extinct.
