Jan Molby, the former Liverpool and Denmark midfielder, has described Mesut Ozil as the best set-piece taker around at the moment.
Ozil is out on his own in the assists rankings so far this season with 10 in the opening 11 games, but his all-round game has also been to a consistently high level which has started to earn him the recognition he deserves.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Molby pinpointed another facet to the German’s play which makes Ozil a constant threat to opposition defences.
Set pieces are more important than they’ve ever been because clubs put so much effort into them. For several years now I’ve thought we’re [Liverpool] asking for corner and free kicks to be absolutely perfect.
For me the best at the moment, Mesut Ozil at Arsenal, just puts the ball into a dangerous area where the goalkeeper can’t get it.
The former Real Madrid playmaker has had a tough time from pundits since joining Arsenal. The reputation he came to the Premier League with – along with the £42.5 million price tag – didn’t give the 27-year-old much leeway for poor performances and the usual mitigation of a settling in period.
That and the high standards watchers of the Premier League had for Ozil meant expectations were lofty.
Since returning from injury – which kept him out for three months last season – at the start of the year, Ozil has been quietly going about his business in a productive manner.
So far Ozil has created 54 chances in the league and has an average pass accuracy of 88 per cent.
