Quite as in Arsenal’s last season, Mesut Ozil has been in the spotlight this time around too, and not for all the right reasons again. However, Arsene Wenger has come up with a theory to explain Ozil’s performances (or the lack of them). It seems like the long-lost answer that the team had been looking for.

Apart from the transfer-related concerns and the nitty-gritties of football transfers, it remains a fact that Arsenal have spent several years trying to figure the German talent out, trying to find that what is it that makes him one of the best players out there and what are the inexplicable forces that come into play whenever he’s at his best and gets instantly pulled down to his worst.

Performance so far

Apart from his single-season featuring 19 assists, Mesut Ozil has always struggled to find consistency at Arsenal. And even if we talk about that particular season, the bulk of his success came during the first half (of that season).

His performances started dipping from the season’s second half onwards, but all his shortcomings get swept under the carpet owing to his overall season results. He has struggled with fitness too and the same was evident during his outings for Germany in the FIFA World Cup 2018.

The theories

People have come up with plenty of theories to explain the Ozil conundrum – he needs some more class in the team, he is always out of position, he just doesn’t care, he always wants to cling on to the number 10 shirt, it’s just who he is, he’d be better off elsewhere and many more.

There is no dearth of explanations when it comes to the German player.

However, Arsene Wenger has come up with yet another theory, which seems to be far different from the great multitude produced so far. It’s one that has never been heard of before.

Talking to the press, the Gunners coach said, “Ozil is a guy who needs support, he doesn’t need controversy. When I watched him play, I could feel there were situations in the game where he could have moved forward, progressed and played more vertical. He played security. I was thinking come on, that is not the real Ozil I know, the guy who can kill.”

There it is, pretty clear for everyone to understand. As per Wenger, Ozil is constantly in need of support, else he chooses to play with security (or timidity, putting it in other words).

So, could this possibly be the problem that Arsenal had always been looking a solution for? Could Ozil’s talent get fizzled away due to lack of support at Arsenal, or at least unstable support? Arsenal will soon need to resolve this problem as they’ve already signed the midfielder until 2021 early this year.

Gooners have for long been known to have undying enthusiasm when it comes to tearing down their own players. And this could be something that’s not helping the Ozil situation. Arsenal’s boss Unai Emery has promised to help Mesut upon his return to the club, after the World Cup. And this is a step in the right direction.

What now?

This could quite be the case. But if it is so, it’s important for him to understand that you’re never going to get support by expressing your need for it. The only way you can get support is by earning it. Hence, it’s a Catch-22 situation! And one that Arsenal should quickly find their way out of.