Why Ozil drives me round the bend

MESUT OZIL is the most frustrating player I’ve seen wear an Arsenal shirt. He is an icing-on-the-cake player — someone who is happy to create the chances to win matches but will not scrap and fight for the team. Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp gave everything when they played. They were creative geniuses but were not afraid to put their foot in. Ozil is an expensive luxury — but if he is not going to work hard out of possession then he must do so when he has the ball. Why isn’t he running at players with menace and asking questions of them? It’s not enough just to be out there — he needs to be controlling games. Ozil has not yet signed a contract so we must assume he does not want to be at the club. But if he is just trying to see out his time at Arsenal, that is going to be a long year for all involved. He must forget about himself, give his all for the fans and the club and then go gracefully. Ozil was not the only one to blame on Saturday. The midfield offered little protection for the defence. Granit Xhaka struggles to tackle without committing a foul and Aaron Ramsey flies forward at every opportunity — leaving a hole for the opposition to run into. The midfield would be less of an issue if the defence was more solid but Arsene Wenger picked two full backs — Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac — in his back three against Stoke. Monreal was the central player and it is clear that the role does not suit him. He is far too eager to come out of position. Why has Wenger allowed Gabriel to move to Valencia? Centre backs are not easy to come by and Wenger is in danger of leaving himself short.