*Official* English Football Season 2013-14

[Furball]

The best example I can think of is imagine you're playing cricket with your mates, you're playing rubbish and getting heavily beaten, there's 10 overs to go and all of a sudden Kevin Pietersen wanders over and asks if he can field for the last 10 overs. Your team's performance would instantly be much better for KP being on the field with you, even if he wasn't actually contributing anything himself.

 

[sledger]

Signing a player like Özil gives everyone an extra edge though. You don't sign a player like Özil to finish 4th, you sign him to win trophies. Which means that the guys you've got, by and large, are good enough as well.

Özil himself doesn't make the likes of Ramsey have the season of their careers. But what he does do is give players like Ramsey confidence in themselves, which can be the difference between a good and a great player.

I fully agree with Uppercut about Özil only being 4th at best. Ramsey, Mertesacker and Koscielny have been better. Doesn't mean Özil hasn't been class though. And worryingly for the rest of the league, Arsenal's midfield is properly starting to click, and it's the best in the division on paper.

Not just on paper imo.

 

[Cabinet96]

I don't think anyone's really suggesting that tbh.

I've definitely heard Paul Merson tell me to "look at the improvement of Ramsey after Ozil has come in" or something along those lines, when I listen to them talk about Arsenal on Soccer Saturday.

Signing a player like Özil gives everyone an extra edge though. You don't sign a player like Özil to finish 4th, you sign him to win trophies. Which means that the guys you've got, by and large, are good enough as well.

Özil himself doesn't make the likes of Ramsey have the season of their careers. But what he does do is give players like Ramsey confidence in themselves, which can be the difference between a good and a great player.

I fully agree with Uppercut about Özil only being 4th at best. Ramsey, Mertesacker and Koscielny have been better. Doesn't mean Özil hasn't been class though. And worryingly for the rest of the league, Arsenal's midfield is properly starting to click, and it's the best in the division on paper.

Hmm, I can see it both ways. On the one hand, it has the effect you say, but on the other hand it could theoretically damage confidence of the current players when a club feels the need to triple it's biggest ever transfer fee to create the necessary improvement. I don't really think that's the case FTR, since Wenger didn't panic buy loads of meh players like the media wanted, but it's not that much less likely than the former. The other thing that gets brought about is competition for places, which I guess I kind off agree with and is probably visible with the likes of Wilshire. I'm still not fixed on that particular matter though.

 

[grecian]

The best example I can think of is imagine you're playing cricket with your mates, you're playing rubbish and getting heavily beaten, there's 10 overs to go and all of a sudden Kevin Pietersen wanders over and asks if he can field for the last 10 overs. Your team's performance would instantly be much better for KP being on the field with you, even if he wasn't actually contributing anything himself.

Bollox comparison, cricket is a singular game in a whole, Kp works that way, Ozil works in a team, his assists are his great thing, not so much individual performances which is Kps thing totally and utterly. In fact it's hard to think of a worse comparison if I tried, ???Ronnie Irani maybe.

 

[Jarquis]

grecian - Ramsey was brilliant at the back end of last season. As I said in my horribly worded and formatted post earlier (ranting on the train on my phone), Arsenal's improvements have come in 2013 as opposed to 2013/14 and the same is true of Ramsey.

Pretty sure some time in October Ramsey gave an interview saying how *Özil's arrival meant that everyone stepped it up to play at his level and so they'd not be the one to let him down or embarrass themselves in front of him.

 

[Jarquis]

Wilshire.

Oh, come on mate. #pethate

 

[grecian]

grecian - Ramsey was brilliant at the back end of last season. As I said in my horribly worded and formatted post earlier (ranting on the train on my phone), Arsenal's improvements have come in 2013 as opposed to 2013/14 and the same is true of Ramsey.

Pretty sure some time in October Ramsey gave an interview saying how *Özil's arrival meant that everyone stepped it up to play at his level and so they'd not be the one to let him down or embarrass themselves in front of him.

fair enough, didn't know that, but it seems from a non-supporter he's improved a fair bit this year?

Hey did you go yesterday was it fun?

 

[Cabinet96]

Not sure I said that at all, I was in convos with Sledger saying that I really liked Ramsey not sure when Ramsey was brilliant for months before that, you talking the off-season?, yet Ozil just moves everything on.

Defenders will always improve if the ball ahead of them is being used well, and unnecessary pressure isn't piled on them, pretty much basic football lore.

Yeah, I wasn't implying that you said it. I was stretching it a bit with Ramsey by using the back end of last season, where 'brilliant' is probably a bit far, but he had definitely been good/very good for a few months before that and was really starting to perform fantastically for about a month before deadline day, both in preseason and the start of the season.

I'm not simply talking goals against record with defenders either. It's not like they didn't concede chances against Liverpool or at Dortmund but they were usually able to mop up. Although I'm definitely in the midfield plays a massive role to defensive records, if not greater than defenders themselves, camp.

 

[sledger]

I've definitely heard Paul Merson tell me to "look at the improvement of Ramsey after Ozil has come in" or something along those lines, when I listen to them talk about Arsenal on Soccer Saturday.

Merson's a berk though. But even so, he's not necessarily suggested that Ozil arriving is the sole cause of Ramsey's upturn in form.

 

[Cabinet96]

Oh, come on mate. #pethate

Haha, I even remember reading someone else having a go about that particular blunder not that long ago. Poor effort I admit.

 

[sledger]

fair enough, didn't know that, but it seems from a non-supporter he's improved a fair bit this year?

Hey did you go yesterday was it fun?

He was certainly showing signs of improvement towards the end of last season, but even so, I think he's improved massively since the start of this season. The decent end to last year aside, he's like a completely different player this season for mine.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Ramsey and Ozil have developed an incredible understanding tho. That clearly didn't happen before the latter's arrival.

Look at Ozil's goal against Hull; Ramsey didn't even look before he crossed. He knew Ozil would be on the end of it.

Not too fanciful to say he's made everyone raise their game, IMHO.

 

[Cabinet96]

Merson's a berk though. But even so, he's not necessarily suggested that Ozil arriving is the sole cause of Ramsey's upturn in form.

Yeah, I probably worded it a bit too strongly in my post. Point is, I think Merson feels Ozil's arrival has had a greater impact on Ramsey than I do.

And berks may be the norm if I ever get BT sport and have to listen to Michael Owen.

 

[Cabinet96]

Ramsey has progressed from solid central midfielder to a proper box to box player who's offensively superb. Think it's a combination of confidence, striving more for goals and assists (read some of what he said in the offseason) and greater teammates, with whom he now shares a better understanding with.

 

[grecian]

Ramsey and Ozil have developed an incredible understanding tho. That clearly didn't happen before the latter's arrival.

Look at Ozil's goal against Hull; Ramsey didn't even look before he crossed. He knew Ozil would be on the end of it.

Not too fanciful to say he's made everyone raise their game, IMHO.

It's not fanciful it's just a fact IMHO.

Hey before people call me a wise-after-the-event guy, I'll admit, though I always liked Ramsey, I didn't quite get the Ozil-love, in fact I thought it was a waste of money, they needed a striker not another mid-fielder.

Yet the guy has a presence, and it clearly works.

 

[Furball]

Bollox comparison, cricket is a singular game in a whole, Kp works that way, Ozil works in a team, his assists are his great thing, not so much individual performances which is Kps thing totally and utterly. In fact it's hard to think of a worse comparison if I tried, ???Ronnie Irani maybe.

Having KP on your team in the field would definitely lift everyone else in the team's game, it's a totally psychological thing.

I didn't want to use a football example because obviously the team would improve if Özil wandered over for a game of 5s for half an hour.

 

[Furball]

Ramsey and Ozil have developed an incredible understanding tho. That clearly didn't happen before the latter's arrival.

Look at Ozil's goal against Hull; Ramsey didn't even look before he crossed. He knew Ozil would be on the end of it.

Not too fanciful to say he's made everyone raise their game, IMHO.

In fairness that's because Özil's movement is absolutely incredible.

 

[Furball]

The other thing about Arsenal's midfield is that it's so incredibly versatile. Plonking Wilshere and Ramsey out on the wings when they were younger might seem a bit counter productive but Arsenal's 4, whether it's Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Özil, Rosicky etc can all play comfortably wide or through the middle, and once they all properly get used to each other's games, will be ****ing difficult for opposition teams to deal with.

Rosicky I think has been incredibly underappreciated for the last 6 months as well.

 

[Jarquis]

fair enough, didn't know that, but it seems from a non-supporter he's improved a fair bit this year?

Hey did you go yesterday was it fun?

Yeah, it's fair to say but tough to explain. Ramsey's always been a fantastically talented and technically gifted player. It's easy to remember before his leg break he was held in much higher regard than Wilshere.
I think the past 12 months have seen various factors take effect and they all kind of feed one another. He's spent more time playing in the middle of the park, he's developed physically (always been fit but look at his run to set up Giroud's shot which was blocked on the line against Cardiff, he's now strong too), he's more confident and adding more in the way of discernable output e.g. goals, assists, tackles.
The initial signs of him stepping up a level where there 10 months ago but it's been the past couple that have seen him really go from strength to strength.

And yeah, I was there last night. Was a lot of fun. I was in club level as a guest so was wined and dined before kick off too, was a great experience. Different from the away end at Cardiff mind you. Love away days where there's a more concentrated section of vocal/passionate fans all out to have a good time. Not that last night wasn't great, but you know what I mean.

 

[NUFAN]

Not sure who I'd rank as best player, I still prefer Mata over all of them, Hazard has been pretty ****ing good this season though. I actually thing Yaya is better than Aguero, but they're both ****ing brilliant, and should be in the discussion.

Yeah I'm glad that Yaya Toure has finally been mentioned. He is so important to City and I personally think he is the best midfielder in the League, narrowly ahead of Ozil with Lamela 3rd.