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Wenger On Re-Signing Van Persie + Mesut Ozil’s Poor Form

By on February 11, 2014

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger conducted his pre-match press conference this morning ahead of tomorrow night’s huge clash with Manchester United.

Among the things he’s been talking about, the boss spoke out on rumours of him re-signing Robin van Persie as well as Mesut Ozil’s recent poor form.

Newspaper reports have linked RVP with a sensational return to the Emirates this summer with the Dutchman understood to be unhappy under David Moyes at Old Trafford.  The striker was apparently upset when Fergie left at the end of last season and isn’t happy with Moyes’s training methods, and a switch back to Arsenal has been touted.

However, when quizzed about a potential return to north London, Wenger remained coy and insisted now wasn’t the time to speak about any move for the player. He told reporters:

“I don’t think that’s an ideal subject for us to treat today. I think it is best we don’t talk about that at the moment.

“Robin van Persie is a great player. We know that. It doesn’t mean he has to score [against Arsenal on Wednesday]. It depends how we defend against him.” [source: ESPN]

I personally think there’s ZERO chance van Persie will ever return to Arsenal. He left under a dark cloud and has become something of a hate figure among the Emirates faithful so a return would be extremely difficult.

He certainly hasn’t looked himself this season but whether that’s due to a lack of match fitness or he’s unhappy under Moyes remains to be seen. I’m sure United’s awful form has a lot to do with his sulking as well, but he won’t find any sympathy from me.

Next on the agenda was Ozil’s poor recent form. The German international has come under fire after his disappointing display at Anfield on Saturday but Wenger was quick to remind us that he’s still adapting to life in the Premier League and assures us that the 25-year-old is working hard to get up to speed with the physical nature of English football.

Wenger told Arsenal.com:

“He has done well, he is adapting as well to the Premier League – we have seen that before,”

“I wouldn’t like to put too much pressure on him because he has been a top-class player until now. He didn’t have the best of games on Saturday but that can happen. He works very hard to adapt to the physical level of the Premier League and for me he is an exceptional player.

“[Criticism] happens but we have to deal with that and he has to deal with that. He has been a professional footballer for long enough to know when your performance on the day is not good enough, you get criticised or questioned. It is normal.

“He was like everybody else on Saturday – he was not on a good day and was affected certainly by the fact it was a bit of a shock to be 2-0 down so early. He works very hard in training to improve and there’s nobody really to ostracise from that game, we are all conscious that we were not good enough.”

The criticism of Ozil has been waaaaaay over the top and he certainly wasn’t the only player who under-performed at Anfield, but I suppose a £42m price-tag brings with it a certain level of expectation, which he failed to live up to on Saturday.

The problem is we know there is so much more to come from him and it’s frustrating to see him playing within himself, but the mistakes on Saturday were simply down to fatigue and him not being used to the intensity of this league.

Ozil has played his entire career with a winter break and isn’t used to playing every minute of every game as he is being asked to do at Arsenal. It’s going to take time for him to adapt and we just need to be patient, because he’s a world class player and will be devastating when he gets used to England football.

What are your thoughts on a potential return for RVP and Ozil’s form?

8 Comments

  1. MM

    February 11, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    Agree that the £42M price tag raises expectations.

    Imagine if we had bought Draxler for £37M. Would he have changed the game around? Very unlikely. But what’s very likely is that Wenger Out crowd and the media would have had a field day.

  2. mwaengo

    February 11, 2014 at 2:28 pm

    it will be gd coz what he wanted op he got it just working under fergie,with ozil he will prove

  3. Joe Katapa

    February 11, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    RVP should stay at Man U. We don’t have room and time for him anymore.

  4. Innocent C Obi

    February 11, 2014 at 2:56 pm

    Fans are used to crucifying players not realising that soccer is a team thing, Ozil is a fantastic player that need the support of Arsenal fans. In real life things are not always the way it should be, at times there is ups and down. That defeat is one of them.All the while same Ozil fans are heavily critisizing has done marvelously well. Please leave the poor guy alone to concentrate afterall all the years Arsenal has not tasted silverware he was not there.

  5. suleiman abdullahi

    February 11, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    What did rvpersie left there that wish to retune to emirate ,let him stay there and wind trophys beco use arsenal are not capable to wi n any thing, its becouse they are seventh in the table, no time to c olified that is why he want leave, so that no time for you.

  6. Gunners 4 Life

    February 11, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    That Liverpool game is just an unfortunate situation, but then, i will want us fans of Arsenal and the players to see it as a wake up call that requires prompt and stern respond to send the messages to other clubs that we are still in the tittle race, and to do these, manu game must be attended to like wounded lions

  7. Nizam

    February 12, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    Wenger says the Pool loss was an accident.
    If you are the driver,your first priority is to avoid an accident.
    He shd have anticipated Pool and all teams will deny the gunners time and space and harass them .
    He has forgotten or chose not to recall the devastating defeats to Spurs and MU in the cup matches and still continue his passing soccer.
    His tactics are always the same,no variation .That is why the gunners will continue to lose the big games.
    Of course Arsenal might win.Still we will wait to see whether the gunners can continue to challenge. If not,the fans will revolt.

  8. richard in spain

    February 13, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    if we dont win the league some blame has to go to aw cos he is a bit timid at spending the dosh they have 70 million so just get the best strikers etc like man city and co and then we will win something

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