Mesut Ozil says that Arsenal are a more confident team this season, evidenced by the 3-0 win over Olympiacos earlier this month which helped the Gunners secure Champions League knock-out stage qualification.
In his third season at the club, the German international once more asserted himself as a player more interested in the team than any individual plaudits, even if his 13 assists so far this campaign have cemented his position as the most creative midfielder in the Premier League.
In a long interview with the Times, Ozil spoke about the way the team feel more assured, even if they have had to cope with a plethora of injuries from the start of the new season, and he pointed to the record in the whole of 2015 too.
“We are a more confident team this season,” he said. “I can feel as a player on the pitch the team is more confident when we play. We dominate the other team. The team believes in itself more this season.
“It’s not just started now. It’s been going for the whole year. We played very good football in the second half of last season. The players believe we can be successful this season.
“I believe we will take the three points from City. We want to win because it’s at our home and we want to be successful. We are more hungry this season. Look at the Champions League. You could see us in Athens against Olympiacos. we just needed two goals but we went for the third one. We showed more confidence, more hunger.”
Ozil has been a creative dream so far this season, and Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in well and truly in his sights. However, he’s not looking to break that for the personal achievement, only because it will mean that he has contributed to the team.
“I’m not thinking that I have to go past Henry’s record. I’ve heard about the record but my aim is Arsenal’s success. It’s lovely to break records, and if it happens it will be nice, but it’s not the most important thing. The team is.”
And he explained his decision to pass to Aaron Ramsey against Aston Villa, revealing his quick football brain.
“It was on my right foot. So it’s 50-50 if I score,” he said. “I saw he was in a better position than me, so he could score 100 per cent. It is more important to give the ball to the player in the better position than to shoot myself and risk missing.
“It would make the game easier for us if I played the ball to him, we go 2-0 in front and we win the game. Both assists and goals give me pleasure — because both end up with a goal for the team. I’m a creative player and it makes me equally proud and happy to assist as well as score.
“Of course it makes me happy if the fans take pleasure from watching me but I play for the team, not for myself.”
Let’s hope he can add to that assist record against Man City tonight.
Let’s do it tonight boys. A brace of assist and a goal from Öz tonight to earn the MOTM award.
We’ve as good a chance as ever.
Neither side is at full strength. In all probability (defensive) midfield will be the decider. That and luck. In all probability luck will be the other decider.
This is one match that I couldn’t give a fuck how we get it done.
Love Mesut, hate bastards.
LOL
so so happy to have this player
Interesting in the article that he looks up to Zidane. Lots of similarities.
And is a Muslim, helping show that it is only a small minority of people claiming to be Muslims that are the problem, others are geniuses or normal people.
And weird for him, given he was playing in Paris for Germany that night, got locked in the stadium overnight.
He wasn’t: he was rested by Löw.
OK, apologies, had forgotten that it was that match he was rested for.
Only silly people say Muslims are a problem. Radical, extremist Muslims can be a problem, but then radical extremist anythings can be problems too.
The confident thing is all about crushing Man$hitty, oust Barca from UCL,the my joy would untold!
But you’ve just told us.
If I played football, I would be Mesut, and I would play for Arsenal. #COYG
The Jury are still out on this guy.
—
Hang the f*cking jury.
Out celebrating with Ozil and Flam. Yes hello Blogs!
Throw the jury to the wolves and then set fire to the wolves and jump on the burnt bits
in defence of Moyes, he did a much better job than Louis Van Gaal! haha.
*…then,my joy would be untold!*
The King #Mesut
You can’t hate him 🙂
Moyes knows nothing.
It was on my right foot. So it’s 50-50 if I score…“I saw he was in a better position than me, so he could score 100 per cent.
To me this is what separates Ozil from humans.
The only problem with him is that he still hasn’t managed to convince the great David Moyes.
So until then I’ll be skeptical.
I mean, I’m not being pushy, but he may as well just break Titi’s record tonight.
That’d be good.
Totally off topic but feeling sickened by the realisation that mourinho might take over manure and possibly win the league, thus eradicating all his sins and failures this season. Instead of receiving a well earned gong for ‘worse manager of the year’, we have to watch his smug face declaring “I am champion”.
It would be too much. I can’t see him doing more than his first season at Chelsea this time, getting the team improved a bit and then buying in the summer and then doing better.
Though ideally he just f*cks off overseas somewhere and we never see him again.
There’s no way United can win the league with their current squad, and if Mourinho took over he would constantly remind everyone of this by repeating how they’re a poor injured 250-million pound baby rabbit in a big bad horse race or some similar excuse-making shite. After this weekends result United are now officially less likely to win the league than Leicester (according to the professional odds calculators: the bookmakers). City are still favourites, with us a close second, and Leicester a distant third. I expect that if we win tonight, we’ll become the ‘official’ title favourites for the first… Read more »
If he does take over at Manure I think they’ll be worse than they are right now. Different system, same rigidity and lack of self expression. He’s poison right now, and if he took over, I’d like him to relegate Manure. :))
What are you?
An old gooner