As Arsene Wenger’s said before, you simply can’t be a fan of football and not admire Mesut Ozil.
This season in particular, the German has really come into his own and is playing at a level no one could ever have imagined.
In our 3-0 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League, the playmaker was on top form again and pre-assisted two of Olivier Giroud’s goals.
The boss has been equally impressed with Ozil and has pointed out how unusual it is for a player of his ability to not have a huge ego.
“What struck me was that it was not forced on an individual basis,” Wenger said.
“The team play was in front of his ego. That strikes you because normally when players are that talented, that’s not the first quality you see.”
At points in the past, Ozil’s lack of ego has actually been a problem. He’s not taken chances he should have, choosing to lay off the ball and responsibility to another player. However, this appeared to just be a matter of confidence and this season the midfielder has been taking shots he never would have a year ago.
Confidence is good but an enlarged ego isn’t. I think Mesut has the balance right.