Mikel Arteta has been warned about Mesut Ozil’s temporary upshift in form.
The German playmaker fell out of favour under both Unai Emery and Freddie Ljungberg. However, he seems to be a key piece in Mikel Arteta’s resurgent Arsenal side.
“He did get Ozil working harder than he’s ever worked, but leopards never change their spots,” John Collins told BBC Radio 5 Live after Ozil’s impressive display in the 2-1 Chelsea loss.
“That will be a short-term thing for Ozil because his natural instinct is to be lazy, it’s not to have an instant sprint back, chasing back – it’s not in his DNA. Technically gifted, but the reason that Arsenal haven’t been successful in the last four or five years is because he has been in the team.
“He’s a lazy player. A skilful player, but I think come the end of the season he’ll be gone out of the team and Arteta will be looking for a team out on that pitch where every single player will be working their socks off.
“He doesn’t like running, chasing. He doesn’t like the ugly side of football. He likes when the ball is passed to his feet. He doesn’t enjoy it. He doesn’t do it naturally. He’s not a team player without the ball. You see it every time he loses the ball. It’s a delayed reaction, ‘oh I better go and sprint back’. Or it’s a three-quarter sprint. It’s never a 100 percent sprint with determination.”
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