Cesc Fabregas did not hold back what he thought about Mesut Ozil after the Europa League final on Wednesday night.
Here at Daily Cannon we’re huge fans of Mesut Ozil and have never hidden that fact. But it is undeniable that the German has struggled all season and looks a shadow of his former self.
Perhaps that’s understandable. He did, after all, endure a summer where his whole nation turned against him.
But something certainly isn’t right, whether it’s off-field or behind-the-scenes at Arsenal.
“I think sometimes you just have it inside or you don’t have it,’ Fabregas told BT Sport.
“When he was at Real Madrid he was surrounded by top, top players and one of the best players in the history of the sport in Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I’m not taking anything away from Mesut, he played top football there, but once you step down a little bit, because we can all agree Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich they are top three, you have to show yourself a little bit more because you don’t have the same quality around you.
“The club buys you to be the actual leader around the club. I don’t think Mesut has that in him to carry. I don’t train with him every day, but I don’t think he has it in him to be leader.”
The thing is, Ozil *did* show himself when he first arrived but this season we’ve only seen glimpses at most.
This is a player we know puts a lot of stock in personal relationships and it is worth asking if he’s struggled because Arsene Wenger left.
Most likely it’s a combination of everything – niggling injuries, Wenger leaving, Unai Emery arriving and not seeming to like him, his treatment in Germany and by the UK press.
That’s a lot for anyone to deal with, I’m sure you’ll agree.
All that being said, he simply cannot continue like this and something needs to move, whether it’s a mental or physical shift, we will just have to wait and see.