Arsenal legend Martin Keown has admitted that current Arsenal star Mesut Ozil is the catalyst for all of the club’s success and claims that the World Cup winner dictates the way that the Gunners play their football.
Mesut Ozil is Arsenal’s most expensive ever player having been signed from Real Madrid for £42.5 million and Martin Keown, speaking in his column for The Daily Mail, claims that the German’s knack for assisting goals is part of the reason that the Gunners have experienced so much success in recent years.
The way Arsenal attack and play football is key to all their success – that’s their brand, attacking football. Ozil getting all these assists is very key to that, but just as important is the number of tackles Francis Coquelin might make, or the number of clearances and blocks Laurent Koscielny might make.
However, the former Arsenal defender also admitted that Arsene Wenger’s side haven’t been entirely convincing this season and picks out the embarrassing loss to Bayern Munich and the close draw with Tottenham Hotspur as games that the team should have performed better in.
You have to demonstrate both sides of the game and I feel Arsenal are at a crossroads. From a physical point of view, they should have been able to outscrap Tottenham last weekend. And from a footballing aspect, they should have been able to cope better with Bayern Munich.
Despite the undeniable quality that Arsenal possess in their ranks, Keown believes that the team needs a greater sense of balance if they are to earn more favourable results in the remainder of the campaign.
We’ve seen them outbattled and outplayed in the space of a week, and this tells me there needs to be a better balance in both areas. The team that finds that balance will win the Premier League.
The Gunners currently sit second in the Barclays Premier League and only find themselves behind Manchester City on goal difference. Mesut Ozil has been one of Arsenal’s best performers so far this season and has the most assists in the Premier League, as such he will prove to be one of the most important players to the current Arsenal side in their bid for the league title.
