Something very strange happened during Arsenal's defeat of Norwich at the weekend. All of the big clubs had very similar games - taking the lead against inferior opposition, before suddenly finding themselves in a difficult patch. All of them managed to find the reserves of quality and grit to get through, with the exception of Manchester United, but it's strange to see that Arsene Wenger's men defied their usual mentality to do so, in the manner of a real, proper football team, capable of challenging for titles and not prone to self-implosion at any minute.
For Arsenal, Mesut Özil is bigger than the club
Mesut Özil has transformed Arsenal not only with his talent but also with the mentality that comes from the positive atmosphere his transfer created.
Paul Gilham
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Arsenal instead played their best football after conceding the goal, a state of affairs that would've been unthinkable over the past few years. From the 4-4 against Newcastle United, The club have progressed mentally more or less in inverse proportion to Cheik Tiote's long-range shooting ability. Mesut Ozil is the sole variable, and it should be obvious that he has brought more than his own technical ability to the field of play. One change has been enough to install a positive atmosphere about the club, and seems to have inspired the likes of Olivier Giroud - Olivier Giroud! - into giving gutsy, spirited performances.
Whether a long-term injury to Ozil would remove that effect as well as his on-field contributions remains to be seen, but morale and good form alone is never enough to win the league, and it still looks very early for this Arsenal team to prevail. Doing so would seem to require a lack
The golden age of talismanic players, in the deep nineties, has seemed to be over in the Premier League for a long time. Once, everybody seemed to have one player who could galvanise the team to find new levels of determination and resilience, through the illustrious leadership of the likes of Eric Cantona, Gianfranco Zola and Alan Shearer. Ozil appears to be performing this role for Arsenal, just as last season Robin van Persie did for them before, and last season for United.
There are similarities with the signing and Van Persie's move to Manchester. Tottenham and Arsenal seemed to have the opposite windows to the ones they needed - whereas Andre Villas-Boas' men desperately needed a player of supreme class and ability who could bring them the creativity they were lacking, Arsenal appeared to be badly in need of a squad overhaul and an injection of talent across the pitch. Yet just like Ferguson did the year before, a different decision was made - not to renovate a deeply flawed side, but to instead find the one player capable of carrying them.
Part of the problem with having Mesut Ozil as the best player in the side was that he was never a prolific goalscorer, and a prolific creator requires someone worthy of the chances being created. So far, Giroud’s run of form and Ozil seeming to improve on his predatory instincts have made up for that being a problem.
When Van Persie was at the club, Arsenal were still prone to hilarious errors, shocking complacency and unbelievable cowardliness, but the novelty factor of Mesut Ozil - a world-class player in his prime joining the club for a large fee - seems to have added something else. Contrasted with the transfer window and resultant performances at Manchester United, who have a clearly superior squad, it shows how much the simple impact of how big a club feels can have. For now, Ozil might just be bigger than the club.
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