Arsenal: Get Rid Of Lazy Mesut Ozil – Ex-Scotland Player Warns Arteta

Former Scotland international, John Collins, has advised Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta to sell midfield maestro Mesut Ozil.

Ozil has put in impressive displays since Mikela Arteta’s arrival, showing an improved work rate when out of possession.

However, Collins told the BBC Radio 5 Live that change will prove to only be a short term one.

Collins said: “There’s only so much he can do with the group of players he’s got.

“He did get Ozil working harder than he’s ever worked, but leopards never change their spots.

“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 per cent sprint with determination.

“I’ll be very surprised if he can change him completely, from a player that likes to be lazy and walk back, to a player who sprints all over the pitch.

“Make no mistake about it, he’s just been working with Pep Guardiola who doesn’t stand for any player, no matter how much he costs, how much wages he’s on, not running and sprinting from the first minute to the last minute, they don’t get a game.

“I’m sure he’s learned from Pep, you don’t win titles and trophies with lazy players in your team.”