Quote:
Originally Posted by Beninho
I’ve just seen multiple posts by you lamenting a player whose been world class for close to a decade now, you saying they shouldn’t of taken him to the World Cup is absurd. If you thought that you did not make it known before the World Cup.
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And normally I wouldnt have thought it. Theres definitely some hindsight involved in that opinion.
He was in poor form, but German internationals have a long history of performing poorly for their Clubs and then lighting it up on International Duty, so that really swayed my opinion prior to the World Cup, and even then, he has such a rich history with the German National team that he was unlikely to be dropped.
He and Kroos are just not a good partnership because while the creativity is off the charts nobody protects the back 4 or wins the ball back.
Further to which, I didnt really think the whole 'Erdogan' scenario was as big a deal as it eventually turned out to be and who knows, maybe this whole thing will blow over. There should probably be some changes in the German DFB Hierarchy and maybe some time off will allow cooler heads to prevail.
You'll note Ozil never used the term 'retirement' and even if he had he could always change his mind. He is only 29 and he doesnt overly exert himself so he could still play in the Euros or even the next WC if his form picks up or nobody steals his spot on the team.
My only point is that everyone is pointing at the German FA here as 100% responsible in conjunction with systemic racism and, as devo eloquently pointed out, that is incorrect, they're not angels in all of this but Ozil himself is hardly blameless as some in this thread are asserting.
And finally, it makes me wonder what was in it for Ozil. Was it just Turkish National Pride? At least Gundogan came up with a half-hearted excuse regarding permits for construction projects, Ozil didnt even have that, so what was his incentive? He says 'to respect the Office' which is about as close to meaningless as it gets.
I dont know why you always get so combative, I'm not cutting anyone down here, just trying to understand the nuances of the scenario, and we disagree on a few points. You're not an Arsenal fan that I'm aware of, and even if you were it wouldnt make enough sense to rush to his defence.
I'll admit that I sorely misunderstood the degree of racism that Ozil endured while playing for Germany because its never really come to the forefront as it has now.
I've found that Ozil has been highly valued and highly respected during his entire German and Club tenure, hes incredibly talented, but hes not perfect.