MICAH RICHARDS: I feel for Mesut Ozil… it is horrible to be frozen out

Mesut Ozil last played football on March 7, 2020. It was the weekend before the sport shut down and he came off in the 89th minute of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over West Ham.

So it is 315 days since he was able to do the one thing he absolutely loves. I understand there won’t be a lot of sympathy for him and people will point to his reported £350,000-a-week contract as a healthy form of compensation for inactivity.

Ozil, it must also be pointed out, has arguably not handled the situation well at times. He has taken to Twitter quite regularly during Arsenal games over this period, most recently lauding the inclusion of Emile Smith Rowe in the No 10 position, surely a subtle dig at manager Mikel Arteta. 

Frankly, it’s not been a great look for the club or the player.

Fans are only seeing a fraction of the experience Mesut Ozil is enduring in exile at Arsenal

But the fans are only seeing a fraction of the experience Ozil is enduring. I’ve been in that position. I know exactly what it is like to be frozen out and have narrative around you that you are just content sitting back to pick up the money. I don’t believe any footballer would ever settle for such a situation.

The general assumption about my time at Aston Villa is that I was permanently injured and doing very little to collect very good wages. The reality is different. Yes, I had fitness problems but there were also spells when I was ready and desperate to play but was completely frozen out.

When I went to Villa in 2015, I played all the time under Tim Sherwood. We had a strict regime where I trained one day less a week than the rest of the squad to manage a knee issue that had first flared up when I was 17. The system we had meant I rarely, if ever, missed a game.

My problems started when Remi Garde took over. His fitness coach was a guy called Robert Duverne and in one of their first sessions, we had to do a military style assault course. I explained about my knee condition to Duverne and told him if I did the exercise, it would mess up all the good work.

The fall out with Ozil has not been great for the player, manager Mikel Arteta (left) or the club

The fall out with Ozil has not been great for the player, manager Mikel Arteta (left) or the club

It was made clear to me that if I didn’t do it, as the captain it would set a bad example. So I did the course, with all the climbing and the jumping and the heavy landing. Not surprisingly, my knee went up like a balloon. Things between Garde and I were difficult and he kept dropping me.

Garde didn’t last long after we were relegated but my situation never changed. I had an opportunity to move in the summer of 2016 and I spoke to Keith Wyness, the then chief executive, about letting me leave.

Villa hadn’t paid anything to sign me, they had the opportunity to get a fee from West Ham — there was also an offer from Orlando in MLS — and to free up a space in terms of wages. I made it clear to Wyness I wouldn’t be able to physically withstand three games a week in the Championship. Instead, Villa kept me.

Roberto Di Matteo came in as manager for a short spell and I was physically fit for most of his reign but only played for him twice; Steve Bruce came in after him in October 2016 and I played what proved to be my final ever match in his first game, a 1-1 draw with Wolves at Villa Park.

Ozil has not helped his cause by regularly taking to social media during Arsenal games

Ozil has not helped his cause by regularly taking to social media during Arsenal games

I respect Steve Bruce but I don’t think he ever trusted me. He never picked me for the rest of that season, even when I was fit. He had plans to play me, James Chester and John Terry as a back three at the start of the following season but I got another injury and that was it.

All new managers want to stamp their authority but we rarely think about the mental side for a player who gets left on the sidelines when someone is flexing their authority; don’t doubt that Ozil will have taken this to heart as it really dents your confidence.

Being the footballer who doesn’t play is demoralising. The highlight of my week used to be going in on a Saturday morning, playing in 10-a-side games with the young lads and speaking to Kevin MacDonald, the club stalwart. He would always ask how I was doing when few others did.

My natural outlook is to be positive but that situation at Villa, being marginalised and stopped from doing the one thing I have wanted to do my whole life, led me to the lowest point I experienced as a professional. You reach the stage where you almost feel embarrassed to go to the training ground.

Micah Richards knows what it is like to feel frozen out following his spell with Aston Villa

Micah Richards knows what it is like to feel frozen out following his spell with Aston Villa

I have always admired Ozil as a player. I first crossed paths with him in 2009, when Germany’s Under-21s hammered England in the European Championship final in Sweden. He was sensational, twisting and turning and doing things that were out of the ordinary.

He has had outstanding moments for Arsenal. He became the quickest player ever to reach 50 Premier League assists (later overtaken by Kevin De Bruyne) and will leave the club having won three FA Cups. But unfortunately, and particularly in recent times, there has been inconsistency too and it’s now culminating in a sad situation for an undoubted world-class talent.

To say he has spent the last year grabbing money, however, is unfair. Arsenal came up with the package at his last contract negotiation, he didn’t hold a gun to the club’s head. Players can’t be blamed when clubs are the ones drawing up deals.

The time has surely come, however, for Ozil to move on. It appears that Fenerbahce want Ozil and that he wants to go and play in Turkey. For everyone’s sake, I hope it will happen.

Ozil needs to be play football again. He needs to be free.

Rooney’s derby wonder goal still baffles me

To this day, I do not know how Wayne Rooney did it.

Late in the 2011 Manchester derby, I was preparing to head a ball away from danger. I had my eye on the cross, my neck muscles were tense and everything was set.

Suddenly, Wayne began to turn and arc his back.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney scored with an overhead kick against City in 2011

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney scored with an overhead kick against City in 2011

Next thing he’s up off the ground, his feet are in the air and he makes sublime contact. The ball flies into the net, United win the derby.

It’s an iconic goal and, having been at such close quarters, I can assure you the skill involved was staggering.

Wayne always blew me away. I remember joining up with England for the first time and seeing him. He was the kind of guy you always wanted to be around. He had this infectious character — always looking for a joke — and the room was brighter if he was there.

The 78th-minute winner at the Etihad was one of his famous goals for Manchester United

The 78th-minute winner at the Etihad was one of his famous goals for Manchester United

But, my God, what a player. The skill, the technique, the power — he had it all. He played football in a way that I had not seen before, so spontaneous and with such ridiculous quality.

Wayne has officially ended his playing career and is now Derby’s manager. It was a privilege to play with a legend.

Micah’s man of the week

Scott Parker faced a lot of calls on Monday to stop moaning after Fulham found themselves switched to play Tottenham on Wednesday, a knock-on effect of Aston Villa’s coronavirus issues.

Would such a dramatic change have taken place if another one of the top six sides had been involved rather than a team down the bottom? I’m really not sure.

Scott Parker masterminded an impressive display despite being ordered to play at short notice

Scott Parker masterminded an impressive display despite being ordered to play at short notice

Perhaps that’s why Parker was so angry, with people expecting Fulham to be compliant.

He clearly harnessed the energy by masterminding a 1-1 draw at Tottenham and that point at the end of the season could be invaluable.

He certainly wasn’t moaning on Wednesday after a very determined performance. Fulham are improving all the time.

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