Lesotho’s Afriski resort has dreams of Olympic
racers
 |
| Snowland Beauty... Afriski in Butha-Buthe |
Nestled high in
the mountains of Lesotho, skiers and snowboarders from around the world rub
shoulders at Africa’s leading ski resort, which is cultivating a loyal
clientele despite its diminutive size and remote location.
Afriski is
located 3050 metres above sea-level – just below Mahlasela Pass at 3222 metres
– in the Maluti Mountains and operates in north-eastern Lesotho near the border
with South Africa.
Since its
opening in 2002, Afriski has also become a hub for the country’s young winter
sports enthusiasts to hone their skills and maybe one day compete for gold at
the Winter Olympics.
“Afriski was
always a unique option as a destination,” says resort snowmaker Martin Schultz,
35, who comes from South African surfing hub Jeffreys Bay but swapped his
surfboard for a snowboard to take to the slopes.
“It’s been a
nice progress – nice amounts of terrain we’ve been able to open up,” he adds,
wearing stylish wrap-around blue mirrored sunglasses and a lemon yellow crash
helmet.
Schultz is
responsible for maintaining the quality and consistency of the artificial snow
on the slopes, used by the 12,000 visitors who travel to the resort in the
Maluti Mountains every season.
“We use
high-pressure air, high-pressure water and a certain temperature and humidity,”
he says of the resort’s state-of-the-art snowmaking equipment which is used
when snow is not falling naturally.
 |
| Afriski's world renowned snow slopes... |
Afriski’s main
kilometre-long piste is a strip of brilliant white snow between brown grassy
ridges and dotted with artificial snowmakers, although, on average, its three
slopes are covered with natural snow for several weeks a year.
Lesotho at the Olympics?
Both expert
and novice skiers go down the pristine slope from a height of 3,222 metres
(10,570 feet) to the compact alpine-style resort below. There, visitors drink
Gluehwein and listen to chart music in sub-zero temperatures.
“Ready? Go!”
shouts one ski instructor, from the United States, as she loads her young
charge onto the lift, while more experienced snowboarders spin and flip on
ramps nearby.
Schultz, who
worked as a ski instructor at resorts across Europe before spending nine
seasons at Afriski, hopes the resort will help the tiny kingdom one day win
medals at the Winter Olympics.
 |
| Moteng Pass on the way to Afriski... |
“One of
Afriski’s biggest priorities is to try and expand the skiing community in
Lesotho and we have kids’ programmes that generate a lot of interest from the
local communities,” Schultz says of the resort which employs 240 staff,
three-quarters of whom are locals.
“Some of our
kids like Thabang Mabari, the son of one of the guys who works here, has been
skiing for about five years and he’s brilliant. There’s a good future for kids
like that,” he said.
“Hopefully in
the future we can aim to get those kids to an Olympian standard so they can
actually fly the Lesotho flag at the Olympics.”
Ten-year-old
Thabang’s mother, Mathabang Mabari, who also works at the resort, told AFP that
he had started skiing at the age of three.
“It’s
something he liked a lot. Of course it’s in his blood to compete, of all the
other kids of people who work here, he was the first to ski and teach the
others,” said Mabari, 36, who is from the nearby village of Moteng.
Outside,
slender-framed Thabang glides down the slope with ease dressed in yellow boots,
a black puffer jacket and red snow trousers.
Despite some
promising youngsters, southern Africa has yet to make a mark at the Winter
Olympics.
Huge potential…
South African
alpine skier Sive Speelman qualified for the Sochi games in 2014 – but was
blocked from attending by his own Games Committee who said he was too slow.
His dream to
be his country’s first black contender in his discipline was also thwarted at
this year’s tournament in South Korea and he was instead a technical assistant
to South Africa’s solitary winter games participant, Connor Wilson.
 |
| South African Winter Olympian, Connor Wilson, trained at Afriski.. |
Lesotho has
never put a Winter Olympian forward.
Afriski is
Lesotho’s sole ski resort – the only other one in sub-Saharan Africa is
Tiffindell in South Africa which has two runs and relies on artificial snow.
“Afriski has
been a great help in my training. I don’t think I would have got to the Winter
Olympics without them,” said Wilson, 21, who was training at Afriski for a
fortnight.
“There’s huge
potential here. I always join in with the (local kids’) training … they’re
copying what I’m doing and they are always interested.
“One day
hopefully, they will go to the Winter Olympics for Lesotho.”
Ski in Africa…
Despite its
small size and relatively limited facilities, Afriski still sees itself as a
destination firmly on the global winter sports circuit.
It even pays
homage to its European competitors, naming its chalets after renowned ski
centres like France’s “Meribel” and “Courchevel”.
French ski and
snowboard instructor Thomas Frontoni, 23, said that he would recommend skiing
in southern Africa to Europeans despite the relatively short piste.
“Try it – it’s
always beautiful, perfect views, friendly people. Southern Africa is cheap for
European guys,” said Frontoni, originally from Nice. A full-day “snowpass”,
which gives access to all the pistes and lifts, costs around M460 (US$34 or 29 euros).
 | ||
| Winter Wonderland... | "Always beautiful, perfect views, friendly people." |
“It’s a small
resort … but I think if a French or European skier came here they’d have a good
time.
“I have seen
lots of South African pupils, Argentine pupils, Canadian pupils.”
“They don’t
come here because it’s a kilometre of skiing, they don’t come here because it’s
massive mountains,” added Schultz. “They come here to ski in Africa, because
it’s on their bucket list.”
17-08-2018
AFP
Happy Barça Feet
 |
| Happiness... MSN |
Barcelona’s football ethos is really their
success.
Their approach, an approach that is possession-centric,
low on stress and very happy, is what has driven the club’s exploits over the
past two years.
Of course, this would appear obvious to
say, but the less obvious part is how Barça’s attitude towards the game
maintains them physically and mentally.
It dawned on me last Thursday morning.
I was browsing Twitter, and then
Barcelona tweeted.
After beating Sporting Gijon the
previous night, Barcelona players were in an early morning training session. This
is a team that had just played its 16th competitive game since winning the
World Club Cup in Japan on December 20; a team that had played away from home
the night before.
Barcelona’s
approach to football is magnificent because lends itself to dominance, but the unsung
beauty of what Barça is doing now is it doesn’t tire the players physically, or
mentally, as such consistent greatness would reason to require.
In 1991, after four years of Arrigo
Sacchi’s demanding football utopia, AC Milan’s players were spent and the coach
himself worn out. As Aldo Serena explained later, everyone was drained after a
period in which Milan won eight trophies including back-to-back European Cups.
“The players admired Sacchi and had
understood his importance for their professional growth, but after four years
we were quite stressed and exasperated by (Sacchi’s) concepts,” Serena said.
“There was a need for slightly less
severe sessions, still tough, but a bit more enjoyable.”
So, here is Barcelona, another utopia
but one seemingly on a totally different level on the stress scale.
Oftentimes we
associate winning with sweat, strife and anger. These are all crucial elements,
but perhaps the greatest of all is tranquillity, both physical and mental.
Barcelona are able to train more; remain
fresh; go win a game; and repeat the cycle.
This is the genius of Barcelona and a credit
to Luis Enrique who has fostered a relaxed spirit at the club.
He demands a lot of the players, but he has
not been overbearing, a criticism he had during his time at Roma.
Enrique, a graduate of the Barça way, also demands perfection.
However, is not a perfectionist as Pep Guardiola was, a genius who fell prey to
the Sacchi syndrome towards the end of his Barça reign four years ago.
So, the Barcelona players are free to
make mistakes and once in a while they will hoof the ball forward and scramble
a goal like they did against Las Palmas on Saturday.
 |
| Neymar's winning goal v Las Palmas |
They will win the game, and that is why
this Barcelona team is enjoying the longest undefeated streak in club history –
32 games.
Their whole style permeates a sense of
freedom. They are happy; relaxation is more sought after than perfection.
Obviously the players do suffer; there
is a lot of suffering that goes into 90 minutes of top level football. Barcelona
still aim to press the ball high and win it quickly. This requires energy. They
still have to defend, run and chase. This requires discipline.
But, more than anything, there is a lot
of smiling in a Barcelona game.
If you are
fighting wars all time you will get tired, I would suppose even training
sessions don’t give you as much because you are beat up most of the time. Also,
you expend so much that injuries become another opponent.
Not Barcelona.
Heading into this past weekend, only
Rafinha was on the club’s injury list with a raptured knee cruciate ligament that
has kept him out since September. This is quite incredible considering Barcelona’s
load of games and the level of competition they face.
And, it’s not just Barcelona that win.
What I mean is there are other teams winning
games. Juventus, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are winning weekly, Arsenal
have also won a lot of games. But often there is either too much suffering (Juventus)
or striving to attain some sort of footballing flawlessness (Bayern and
Arsenal).
Barcelona are free.
Maybe winning a treble the previous
season helps. You perhaps have less to prove if you are Enrique and more margins
for error if you are the players.
But, then, when I read that Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and
Neymar are the best friends in the history of
football, it solidifies
everything I am thinking.
This is just a very happy club. Because
even though Barça are successful, someone should cry that he is not playing
enough, someone should complain they are being played out of position and
someone should sulk that they are not scoring as many goals as they would like.
 |
| Smiles |
Obviously, there are talent-specific
things Barcelona do that no one else can. No one can dribble everyone and score
like Messi. No one can escape six opponents on the centre circle and then
provide a pin-point through-pass like Andres Iniesta.
But, I am thinking everyone can aim to
be free when they play too, like the Golden State Warriors are doing in the NBA
or New Zealand’s All Blacks did at the Rugby World Cup last year.
“It is amazing how much can be
accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit,” the great John Wooden also said.
That is Barcelona; that is Golden State; that is the All Blacks.
I may have gone
off topic a bit, but this is a club setup worth acclaiming.
Barcelona are perfect by not being
perfect. They amaze by having fun. Their style is loose and blissful and I
figured this is another reason for their success, apart from their history, years
of planning and transcendent talent.
Happy winning is the best winning and I
just think we have never seen this kind of beast in the history of football.
Written on 22-02-2016
By Teboho Molapo
The Özil Conundrum
 |
| Happy Ozil is good Ozil |
This particular analysis of his
impact at Arsenal is one I had been mulling since the Gunners’ 3-0 league win
over Aston Villa last month. At the time I felt the sample size with which to
dissect Özil’s season remained too small.
Last Sunday’s meek loss to Chelsea,
a subsequent knee injury that will rule Özil out until 2015 and today’s claims of a
move to Bayern Munich
have changed things,
however. The question has to be asked now – can Özil ever be effective enough
in this Arsenal team to help them become genuine league and Champions League
contenders?
It’s important to ask because a
year on from his £42 million club record signing, Özil at this moment comes
across as a problem rather than the solution he was envisioned to be.
His club once again find
themselves struggling to hang onto the coattails of those at the top, five
points off the league summit already, and once again Arsenal sport the deficiencies
that have stunted their recent title challenges – an unconvincing defensive
unit, soft central midfield, suspect big-game temperament and questionable squad
depth.
Now Özil is an added problem – a luscious
creative talent so loved by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, but one that hasn’t
been as malleable and open to sacrificing their natural game as Thomas Rosicky
or Alexander Hleb were before him.
Scrutiny of Özil has been intense since his deadline
day arrival from Real Madrid last September.
It comes with the territory.
Supporters feel entitled to immediate
and measurable returns whenever a player has commanded such a sizeable transfer
fee while pundits rarely miss chances to dissect any perceived misstep.
Özil’s case is peculiar – he did
show immediate and measurable returns scoring
four goals and assisting seven in his first 15 league games and producing the kind of
game-winning display against Napoli in his first Champions League home match that
had fans dreaming. But, instead of building on that start, 12 months later Özil has slipped to
the point where his impending absence is being taken with a pinch of salt by many
Arsenal fans.
But is Özil’s slip in form entirely
his fault? Or are Arsenal, in particular Wenger, failing to give Özil the
chance to be at his best?
The question needs to be asked because
the status-quo is clearly doing little good for player or club.
Özil is out for three months now,
long enough for Arsenal to ultimately find him dispensable or find a plan to
get the best out of his unique talents.
Good Özil
When studying Özil’s impact and performances at
Arsenal, the difference between ‘good’ Özil and 'bad' Özil generally comes down
to where he has played – either wide or centrally.
After employing a fluid 4-2-3-1
last season, this term Wenger has shifted to a 4-1-4-1 system, a way, it seems,
to fit as many of his talented ball-playing midfielders into the starting XI as
possible.
The difference between the two
setups is subtle but, in short, 4-1-4-1 means more of a rigid shape with two central
midfielders in advance of a defensive midfielder and two traditional wide-men
on the flanks.
In this setup there isn’t as much
scope for positional rotation as in a 4-2-3-1 and the wide players in a 4-1-4-1
are, for the most part, expected to perform the duties of a traditional winger
– staying out wide, helping out their fullback in the defensive phase, and so
on.
As part of this adjustment, Özil
has found himself stationed on the wing and not infield presumably because of
his weaker frame and suspect defensive work-rate.
He hasn’t enjoyed this role.
He is a classic number 10 that
likes to drift and not restrict his game to one section
of the pitch.
On two occasions this season Özil
has been given the opportunity to play centrally, in the league against Villa
and against Galatasaray in the Champions League. In both games his performance
was markedly improved.
Villa was perhaps the game in which Özil made the greatest
impact in terms of illustrating what he can bring to the team overall. It wasn’t
a perfect performance by Arsenal, or Özil, but the Gunners still completed 741
passes – the most by any Premier League side over the last two seasons
according to Opta – and the German was the chief orchestrator offensively.
He completed a team-high 54 passes
in Villa’s half, at a 91.5% success rate, he scored and he also assisted Danny Welbeck’s
first goal for Arsenal.
Özil v Aston Villa
Minutes played
|
90
|
Goals
|
1
|
Assists
|
1
|
Attempts on target
|
1
|
Attempts off target
|
1
|
Total passes
|
75
|
Accurate passes
|
69
|
Pass completion
|
92%
|
Accurate forward half passes
|
54
|
Via Opta
Overall Özil’s involvement and
energy was higher. In total he had 77 touches of the ball dotted all over the
pitch as he linked play and provided outlets for passes.
Özil’s touches v
Aston Villa
Via STATS
There were other reasons for Özil’s
improved display, above him playing centrally, which are important to note:
-
Arsenal’s midfield was solid with Mikel Arteta and Aaron
Ramsey establishing a good base
-
There were forward runners from deep (Ramsey) and
attackers (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck) looking to get beyond the
defence
-
There was a better team shape with Chamberlain
offering natural width on the right flank and Kieran Gibbs pushing forward from
left fullback
Line-ups: Aston Villa
0-3 Arsenal
Via STATS
As a result, Arsenal was able to control
play and have its most comfortable afternoon this season.
Also notable against Villa and continued
into Galatasaray was Özil’s understanding with Welbeck. Özil, of course, makes
strikers better; he came into this season with the most assists in Europe’s top
five leagues over the previous five seasons and this is perhaps his most underrated
quality when today’s playmakers are either goal-orientated or, most recently, are
even picked as much for their defensive prowess as for their creativity (Oscar
for Chelsea and Brazil).
This is the importance of ‘good’
Özil in relation to Welbeck, a striker that was presumably signed to elevate
Arsenal by scoring goals. In order to do this he needs constant supply and potentially
Özil is the player to get the best from Welbeck, and even Alexis Sanchez, as was
illustrated against Villa and Galatasaray.
Bad Özil
Against Chelsea, however, we saw
“bad Özil’, bad meaning Özil was largely ineffectual on the game’s life and
outcome.
Playing on the right wing, he had
limited influence similar to in Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League defeat at Borussia
Dortmund where he touched the ball only 33 times before being substituted in
the 62nd minute – the pin-up display for bad
Özil.
It’s these performances that fuel
the viewpoint Özil isn’t doing enough and raise fans’ ire given their stature
and importance. For a £42 million game-changing signing, there hasn’t been
enough game-changing on the biggest stage.
But is bad Özil all Özil’s fault?
Against Chelsea, although Özil was
not able to consistently influence the game, he still completed 47 of 57 passes
and made the most key passes of any player on the pitch.
Key passes
Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal
Mesut Özil
|
3
|
Danny Welbeck
|
2
|
Cesc Fabregas
|
2
|
Alexis Sanchez
|
1
|
Kieran Gibbs
|
1
|
Jack Wilshere
|
1
|
Calum Chambers
|
1
|
Diego Costa
|
1
|
Via WhoScored
Özil touches v
Chelsea
So, in effect Özil still did what
he does to a certain degree, even if his contribution was unquestionably below
par.
What was lacking more, and is a
worrying trend for Arsenal in big games, were the positive points from the
Villa game.
The graphic below shows Arsenal
players’ average positions during the 90 minutes against Chelsea and it demonstrates
just how narrow Arsenal was with only Chamberlain (15) coming on to add some
width as a late substitute.
The central midfield three of
Mathieu Flamini, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere was also never able to establish
a platform and when Özil received the ball, frequently in wide areas, his
fullback (Calum Chambers) was not pushing forwards; not only were Arsenal
narrow, they were often static and were therefore easily forced to keep their
passes infield and sideways by Chelsea.
Özil’s deployment, thus, had no apparent
meaning as he will not get down the line to put crosses into the box and, with no
incisive runs, he cannot prize open the defence through combination play or
through passes.
This has been a problem where
Özil is concerned – he has been picked with no visible plan from Arsenal’s
coaching staff as to what he’s intended to bring from the wing.
This is generally part of what I
see as Arsenal’s talent football philosophy
where the pass and intricate moves are expected win games; play as many
technical players as possible and they will win the game through their superior
skill.
This strategy may work against
smaller teams but it invariably falls short in the biggest games where the talent
level is similar and the superior game-plan most often wins the game. Furthermore,
it’s debatable whether this way of thinking can bring the best out of a group
of players on a consistent basis.
Bringing the best out
of Özil
Özil flourishes
when players are making forward runs. He is happiest when slipping teammates
into space. He thrives in a well-oiled system. He’s shown this with Real Madrid
and Germany previously.
At Real he had
Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain who loved to get beyond
opposition defences. With Germany he’s had Thomas Muller.
Unfortunately because of injuries
Özil hasn’t had the frequent opportunity to play with Arsenal’s two most direct
players, Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott. Özil’s better performances in an
Arsenal shirt have predictably come with Ramsey in the side because Ramsey is a
central midfielder that likes to get ahead of the play and into the box.
Walcott then provides a
consistent threat running in behind opposition defences.
The below graphic from Squawka demonstrates the understanding
and danger Özil created with Walcott during a league game at Sunderland last
season. A visibly high number of passes are made by Özil into Walcott’s right-flank
zone.
During
the same match, Özil made 70 passes, 24 of which were to Ramsey according to Squawka.
Özil stats since
09-10
Via Opta
Too many number 10s
“What is Wilshere? Basically a number ten. He played his whole life at
number ten. Somebody had to go out there. Is it Wilshere, Özil, Ramsey and
nobody is really natural out wide? So you keep good players out or you try to
get them together. We organise to give him freedom. We have that desire to play
well altogether and I think we can really achieve it. We can have a fantastic
team. The main man is the one with the ball. The others have to give him
solutions to play. Every team finds a way to go through its strong point.”-
Arsene Wenger, September 2014
Unfortunately, Arsenal have so
many players that can play in the number 10 position it has led to Özil being
pushed wide. Even after Özil’s fine outing at Villa, Wenger pointed out there
were “ten others who want to play in
the middle”.
It’s true.
 |
| Touch... |
It’s a consequence of Arsenal’s transfer
strategy (an argument for another day perhaps) and Wenger’s eternal love for
gifted attacking midfielders.
The solution is to use a 4-2-3-1 formation
with Özil as the number 10. Clearly Özil is Arsenal’s
best option in creative hub role. He was their 2013/14 assist leader, he leads
the club in key passes this season and he’s averaged the most successful passes
per game in the final third (31.2) in Europe’s top five leagues this campaign.
Arsenal assists in all
competitions 2013/14
Starts
|
Sub
|
Assists
|
|
Mesut Özil
|
39
|
4
|
14
|
Olivier Giroud
|
44
|
7
|
10
|
Santi Cazorla
|
40
|
7
|
9
|
Aaron Ramsey
|
28
|
4
|
9
|
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
|
14
|
8
|
5
|
Theo Walcott
|
13
|
5
|
4
|
Jack Wilshere
|
28
|
7
|
4
|
However, don’t play Özil every
game, manage him better.
One less frequently discussed fact
is the amount of minutes he has clocked over the past five years as a result of
his success at club and international level.
Özil has logged 12,614 league
minutes alone. He’s also reached the semi-finals of the last three major
tournaments with Germany (2010, 2014 World Cup, Euro 2102) and back in December
he tellingly cited fatigue in his adaption to the English game: “It’s
much more tiring to play in this league.
It’s more tiring because the game goes backwards and forwards.”
At
Real, Jose Mourinho would habitually withdraw Özil around the 70 minute mark,
whereas this season he had already completed the full 90 minutes in six of the
eight games he started. Indeed, according to WhoScored, Özil has averaged 83.2 minutes on the pitch per
appearance since moving to the Emirates.
Özil’s minutes this season
Date
|
Opponent
|
Minutes
played
|
23 August 2014
|
Everton
|
90
|
31 August 2014
|
Leicester City
|
90
|
13 September 2014
|
Manchester City
|
90
|
16 September 2014
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
62
|
20 September 2014
|
Aston Villa
|
90
|
27 September 2014
|
Tottenham
|
90
|
01 October 2014
|
Galatasaray
|
76
|
05 October 2014
|
Chelsea
|
90
|
The solution is being flexible tactically
and also in the usage of Özil and Arsenal’s other highly talented midfield
players.
Whenever possible, employ the 4-2-3-1.
Have Özil in his favoured central attacking position where he can thrive as he did
spectacularly for Germany at the 2010 World Cup and in Real Madrid’s 2012/13 Spanish
La Liga triumph. On other occasions use a 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3, with or without
Özil.
Such flexibility in personnel might
even help with Arsenal’s injury problems.
Possible
solution
Back four
Flamini Ramsey (Wilshere)
Walcott (Chamberlain)
Özil Sanchez/Cazorla
Welbeck
|
In my preferred XI, Flamini would
nominally start in defensive midfield as a ‘balancer’, being the one established
midfielder in Arsenal’s squad that enjoys the dirty defensive side of the game.
Ramsey would be alongside Flamini to provide forward runs and his overall
sterling contribution. Walcott and Chamberlain provide the pace over the top on
the right wing.
The second ‘balancer’ is to have
Cazorla or Sanchez on the opposite flank. They are slightly more technical and
can get involved in Arsenal’s famed intricate play. They are also dangerous
individually and have the sort of infectious energy that makes them useful
defensively.
Conclusion
 |
| Artist... |
That his contribution should drop
so drastically is a valid criticism. This he has to improve.
Perhaps Özil can also shoot more often
than the 1.47 shots per league game he’s averaged over the past five years,
something that could possibly open more passing lanes.
However, other criticisms seem to
be somewhat over the top. Criticisms of his defensive contributions, for
example, seem to stem from the fact that Özil doesn’t chase and make slide
tackles.
"I think it's hard to
criticise him. Özil is Özil. If you were expecting Özil to be super aggressive
and to be running miles and miles from side to side and to show great
enthusiasm and aggressiveness, this is not Mesut.” – Jose Mourinho, June 2014
He is not a tackler nor was signed
to be one. In any case Özil is a player that instead relies on positioning and
tactical awareness to make interceptions. At
the World Cup, for example, Özil had the second most attacking third ball
recoveries.
Possession Won Attacking 3rd
|
|
Neymar
|
11
|
Mesut Özil
|
6
|
Gonzalo Higuain
|
5
|
Arjen Robben
|
5
|
Yaya Toure
|
5
|
The biggest point here, though,
is: having spent so much money on Özil, Wenger has to be brave enough to give
him a proper platform and opportunity to excel. Özil was signed to elevate this
Arsenal team and his upside when on song far outweighs any negatives.
Don’t play him 90
minutes every game, also. Arsenal has other exceptionally talented players that
are capable, depending on the game, opponent and situation. Manage Özil well
and at least give him a chance to prove he’s worth his fee.
Give him confidence, too,
as Mourinho pointed out.
“He’s a very sensitive boy. He needs
confidence. He needs trust. He needs to feel that people are with him. When
he’s on the pitch, every time he touches the ball, the ball goes beautiful. And
he’ll always find the right man on the right place.” – Jose Mourinho, June 2014
To others it may sound like too
much accommodating to do for one player, but Özil is simply too
good at what he does to continue down the same path.
If over the coming months the
club does come to feel Özil’s needs are not worth the trouble then his future
probably does lie elsewhere.
The ball is really in Arsenal’s
court, because Özil will always be Özil.
Points:
- Arsenal aim to play talent football, winning on talent, with no coherent strategy. This
would explain Wenger’s move to 4-1-4-1 which aims to squeeze in as many of his
ball-playing wizards into the starting line-up as possible
- Özil has been overplayed during his time at Arsenal averaging 83.2
minutes on the pitch per appearance under Wenger. He has been physically
overwhelmed
- To get the best out of Özil he has to play centrally.
There’s a fundamental difference between playing in the middle and outside. Özil
also has to have willing runners and a stable system, which in any case are
ingredients to a good team
- The position of Sanchez in relation to Özil is also
important. He can create moves intricately in close proximity with the
playmakers and also use his speed in open space to cut open defences
Written 13-10-2014
By Teboho Molapo
Written 13-10-2014
By Teboho Molapo
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