Arsenal are represented in the latest Premier League team of the week that has been selected by BBC pundit Garth Crooks.
Actually Garth is now down as a ‘Football Analyst’ these days, a posh term for a pundit then!
The performance by Mesut Ozil in the five two victory over Everton at the weekend at Goodison Park was enough to earn them a place in the side alongside the other, in the opinion of the former Spurs striker anyway, most impressive performers in the topflight over the latest weekend.
I think we’ll already know ourselves, and not just based on the latest performance, why Crooks, we’ll also not argue with it, selected Ozil as part of his team but explaining his choice he told the BBC.
‘If this is what happens when Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are all on the pitch at the same time for Arsenal, then Arsene Wenger has to do whatever it takes to protect them. Sunday’s game at Everton was the first time that all three have started for Arsenal and it resulted in five goals and a big win. However, what I can’t understand is why Ozil has become Arsenal’s whipping boy over the years? I know he can be temperamental and is prone to sulk but he is not the first player to behave in this way and he certainly won’t be the last. The Germany international seemed to carry the can for Arsenal’s defeat at Watford recently and it even prompted a suggestion from one pundit that Ozil’s performance may signal the end of his career at Arsenal. At this point I have to ask myself, ‘how can a player of Ozil’s obvious class be so easily dismissed?’ I have always been of the opinion that the best teams tend to have the best players and usually fans want to keep them. So why does Ozil get such a bad rap from some Arsenal supporters? He was outstanding against Everton and, while his critics will say you have to wait too long to see a top-class performance from him, I would respond that when he does perform it’s almost certainly worth the wait. What is clear is that if Arsenal start dispensing with players like Ozil then they can forget about titles.’
It’s always good to see the club represented in this way, and well played to Ozil for his recognition, but the most important thing about the weekend was of course the win.
Full Team:
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Tommy Smith (Huddersfield Town), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Shane Duffy (Brighton), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Glenn Murray (Brighton), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham).
