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He collected a World Cup winner’s medal only two months ago, so it’s a bit reminiscent of the old George Best story to ask of Mesut Ozil: “Where did it all go wrong?”
But you know what I mean. Several players advanced their reputations as Germany became champions in Brazil - Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze and others - but the Arsenal midfielder was not one of them. He had looked a star in South Africa four years earlier. Now he did little more than keep the ball moving.
Borussia Dortmund v Arsenal - player ratings
At Arsenal, too, Ozil had flattered to deceive, making such an impact on arrival that it reminded me of Eric Cantona’s at Manchester United nearly a quarter-century earlier. By the turn of the year, he had lost form and Arsene Wenger felt obliged to defend his £42.4million record signing by saying: “He works very hard to adapt to the physical level of the Premier League.”
It was in the Champions League, however, that Ozil was again found wanting last night and, while to make a scapegoat of any one player in the wake of Arsenal’s desperately disappointing performance in Dortmund would be to let off lightly all other contributors, Wenger included, it is reasonable to ask if the elegant but languid playmaker is still worth a regular place in the team.
He came from Real Madrid, having won La Liga as Jose Mourinho’s No10, with a thoroughly merited reputation as one of the game’s leading providers; Cristiano Ronaldo had expressed anger that he was allowed to go.
But all too often, after that dazzling start to Ozil’s career in England, he has let his team-mates down.
The memory of his fatal dallying early in the rout at Anfield is hard to dispel and last night it seemed overdue when he was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose energy might be of more use on the tricky trip to Villa Park this weekend.
