I first became aware of Mesut Ozil when I watched Werder Bremen's German Cup (DFB-Pokal) semi-final against Martin Jol's Hamburg in 2009. He caught my eye with his twisting runs and left-footed delivery, and went on to score the only goal in the final of that competition. He also scored and was named man of the match in another final that summer, against England at the Under-21 European Championship.
Ozil has a wide range of midfield qualities: he can pass, he runs well with the ball and he can score. He also has the advantage of being left-footed. An elusive midfielder with a licence to break forward and seek space towards the touchlines in high positions, he roves behind Miroslav Klose with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira providing insurance behind him, in case he loses the ball.
England will need to squeeze the space between the back line and central midfield to restrict his room to receive the ball and manoeuvre. Gareth Barry, in all probability, is going to be vital. He must stay close to Ozil, tracking and closing him down. But Barry must be clever, too — he must not be drawn towards high, wide positions, far away from his base in the centre. Instead, when Ozil goes wide the full-back on that side will need to cope.
This might mean that Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson must curb their instinct to surge forwards. The German is clever enough to exploit the space vacated when either full-back goes on the attack, and can damage his opponents as soon as the ball changes hands. At least until the first goal of the game, Cole and Johnson will have to be cautious. Otherwise, John Terry and Matthew Upson will be pulled out towards the touchlines to cover, with potentially disastrous consequences in front of goal.
Another feature of Ozil's game is his quick shooting in front of goal. England's defenders have proved beyond question their determination to block shots with brave challenges, but they must be wary: Ozil has mastered the “dummy” kick, where he pretends to shoot and works a fresh angle. The defenders must not fall for that.
Ozil is not quite a Maradona or a Messi, but he can certainly be a thorn in England's side if they do not get close and make him hurry his game.
© Guardian News and Media 2010
