*Official* English Football Season 2013-14

[sledger]

I can't believe that Ozil actually plays for Arsenal.

It is actually amazing.

 

[sledger]

Well, that was enjoyable. Made a decent team look very ordinary.

 

[Furball]

**** how good was Özil's goal?

 

[sledger]

Was just musing to myself. Which of these statements is the most accurate?

A) Ozil was a great buy for Arsenal.

B) Ozil was a terrible sell for Real.

Obvs they are both true, but on the Richter scales of relative expedience/direness I'm genuinely not sure which would come out on top.

 

[Uppercut]

It's kind of early to say either are definitely true, but I'd have said it was much moreso a good deal for Arsenal. I see where you're coming from but Madrid made one of the biggest profits in footballing history on Ozil, it's odd to characterise it as a huge balls-up. The real mistake was appointing such a mediocre manager, because with Ancellotti not rating Ozil they sort of had to cash in on him.

 

[sledger]

It's kind of early to say either are definitely true, but I'd have said it was much moreso a good deal for Arsenal. I see where you're coming from but Madrid made one of the biggest profits in footballing history on Ozil, it's odd to characterise it as a huge balls-up. The real mistake was appointing such a mediocre manager, because with Ancellotti not rating Ozil they sort of had to cash in on him.

Yeah, you're right, it is a bit premature to make these sorts of calls, and they did make a big profit on him. I was watching their defeat to Atletico the other day though, and it just seemed to me that they were crying out for a player like...Ozil. Isco and Illarramendi are undoubtedly good, and will get even better, but I don't think either of their skill sets lend themselves well to Ronaldo and Bale's style of play, which is very direct. Time will tell how it all pans out though, I suppose. The fact that Bale is now injured again apparently is quite amusing, mind you.

Not sure I would call Ancelotti mediocre though. Seems he did pretty well to get a knackered and largely past it Chelsea team to perform as well as it did. That's not to say he's one of the great managers, I don't think he is, but I would rate him higher than mediocre.

 

[Pothas]

I don't think spending 50 million Euros and getting Bale, while losing Ozil, is ever going to be a great deal if you look at it in those terms.

Michael Cox has written how Ozil helped get the best out of Ronaldo and to a lesser extent Di Maria. Isco is seriously brilliant so I guess on that level you can understand, it but certainly in the short term I think it is a dreadful decision from Madrid, I mean for one they have almost no proven options from the bench now. Having said that, while Madrid were awful on Saturday that was not totally dissimilar to the sort of performances they were putting in last season.

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah, you're right, it is a bit premature to make these sorts of calls, and they did make a big profit on him. I was watching their defeat to Atletico the other day though, and it just seemed to me that they were crying out for a player like...Ozil. Isco and Illarramendi are undoubtedly good, and will get even better, but I don't think either of their skill sets lend themselves well to Ronaldo and Bale's style of play, which is very direct. Time will tell how it all pans out though, I suppose. The fact that Bale is now injured again apparently is quite amusing, mind you.

Not sure I would call Ancelotti mediocre though. Seems he did pretty well to get a knackered and largely past it Chelsea team to perform as well as it did. That's not to say he's one of the great managers, I don't think he is, but I would rate him higher than mediocre.

Yeah, by mediocre I mean middle-of-the-road rather than bad. He did win the title at Chelsea but his points total wouldn't have cut it when Ronaldo was still at United and while his side played some nice football, his use of players was very short-sighted. He ended up leaving the club in much worse shape than when he joined it.

His reputation from the AC Milan days doesn't really match his actual achievements and winning the league with PSG last season isn't anything special. He's not a bad manager, but I think there's a lot of right-place right-time about him. He's a big step down from Mourinho and you have to think catching up with Barca is probably beyond him.

I think Ozil was a bit surplus to requirements. It feels odd saying that, because he's incredible, but he's fighting for a place with Isco and Bale. As Pothas has alluded to, it's worth remembering that the Madrid side built around Ozil was ultimately a failure. It's easy to say they could do with a player like Ozil when they play badly but they had him last season and weren't really any better. You get such radically different qualities from Bale. The club might go backwards without Ozil's tactical intelligence, but then again Bale's endless flurry of incredible goals might bring about an improvement. Given they weren't good enough with Ozil it was probably seen as a necessary gamble, and since Bale's barely played it's definitely too early to say it's been a failure.

 

[Ikki]

I think it's pretty clear that for whatever reason Madrid were trying to get rid by the end. They neither need the cash nor do they lack the power to keep a player like Ozil. Especially if the protests of the player only surface a few days before the transfer deadline.

 

[Cevno]

Think Ozil wanted out because Ancelotti told him he would have to fight with Isco for Playing time.

In a way lot's of parallels in the situation to Mourinho sidelining Mata for Oscar.


They could have played Ozil or Isco wide on occasions but then they were all set on Buying Bale anyway.

 

[grecian]

I think it's pretty clear that for whatever reason Madrid were trying to get rid by the end. They neither need the cash nor do they lack the power to keep a player like Ozil. Especially if the protests of the player only surface a few days before the transfer deadline.

Well of course it was clear, whether it was right is the question. I rate Ozil over Bale, so I'm clearly going to say wrong, but as others have said, it's still only the start of the season, everything can easily totally switch round in football in a month, let alone in 7.

 

[Cevno]

Interesting lineup for United today with Rooney out.

Going for the draw written all over it.

 

[Pothas]

If that is tactical rather than because of injury then it is very strange.

 

[Cevno]

He is unwell apparently.

 

[Pothas]

Hart. This is becoming ridiculous now.

 

[grecian]

Is Joe Hart unwell too?

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

*Official* Mesut Ozil Thread 2013-14

 

[sledger]

*Official* Mesut Ozil Thread 2013-14

Take it to the Arsenal thread.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

ps. Joe Hart is **** and we're such a crap team when we don't have the ball.

 

[Pothas]

So so easy.