Emmanuel Petit: Mesut Ozil Has Been a Ghost for 2 Years; He's Lost His Desire

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has labelled Gunners playmaker Mesut Ozil "a ghost" and criticised the club's highest-paid player for not showing more desire to succeed in the north London team's colours. 

Ozil was substituted at half-time on Wednesday when Arsenal were drawing 1-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion (also the full-time result), and Petit questioned the German's resolve in his Paddy Power blog in the aftermath:

"Mesut Ozil was taken off at half-time. I'm a big fan of Ozil, but he has been a ghost for the past two years. Where is the Ozil who was one of the best players around, making so many assists and goals? I think he has lost his desire on the pitch. It's not there any more."

Petit joined Arsenal from AS Monaco in 1997 and won the Premier League in his first season at the club. He took the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France the same year and left for Barcelona in 2000.

As for why Ozil was withdrawn in place of Alex Iwobi at the break, manager Unai Emery said in his post-match remarks that the decision was purely tactical, as ESPN UK shared:

Emery has used Ozil more sparingly than predecessor Arsene Wenger. In November, the Spaniard told reporters he had dropped Ozil for a fixture against Bournemouth because of "physicality and intensity," suggesting the player may not feature in matches for which he's deemed unsuitable.

Arsenal have played 28 games this season; Ozil has missed 10 matchday squads and been an unused substitute on two occasions, playing the full 90 minutes just six times since Emery arrived.

But fans will want to see more from a player who penned a new £350,000-per-week contract in January, a deal that has another two-and-a-half years to run.

Despite Petit's criticism, sports writer Jonny Singer felt the Gunners were decidedly weaker at Brighton without the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner in the lineup:

Arsenal's back line was another focus of Petit's criticism, adding that while the visitors impressed for 30 minutes at Falmer Stadium, "it became obvious what was their weakest link: the defence. The goal they conceded was awful."

The former Highbury favourite warned that Emery's impressive start at Arsenal and their recently ended 22-match unbeaten run may have covered over cracks that are now starting to emerge:

"I don't know what's going on with some of these players. During the long unbeaten run, you thought to yourself, 'Maybe Arsenal are back on track.' But after the game against Southampton I looked back at the number of those unbeaten games in which they were lucky. Suddenly, reality returned.

"In defence they are weak. They're average. They make individual and collective errors—sometimes you have to laugh. The injuries are not an excuse—most of the players who stepped in are internationals."

Arsenal have kept three clean sheets in 19 league games this term and were recently ousted from the Carabao Cup following a 2-0 derby defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. They have conceded seven goals in their past four games.

A trip to face Premier League leaders Liverpool on Saturday threatens to damage that record further, with questions bound to be asked over Ozil's involvement in the journey to Anfield.