But it’s not just Mesut’s style which influences his perception – Arsenal’s team approach also has an effect. Have you ever watched a game live and then watched the highlights of the game on Match of the Day in sheer disbelief, unable to comprehend how they have managed to edit the footage to give such an “anti-Arsenal” impression?

Last season in particular, it was a common experience to saunter over to the Emirates, watch us dismantle a team, score a goal to win the game, and hold onto the three points after defending a couple of counter-attacks. Then we’d head home, pop on Match of the Day expecting to enjoy a rerun of our excellent play, and find the delivered message to be that Arsenal had ‘squeaked‘ another 1-0 victory.

There’s a reason for that, and it’s the same reason Ozil often doesn’t get the credit he deserves: Arsenal play all or nothing football. Our players, and Mesut is chief among them, don’t try to create half chances which lead to shots from wide angles or from a long way out. Instead, they try to create chances which, if they arrive, will be front and centre – almost certain goals.

This means that over the course of a game, there are often numerous exhilarating moves which end in a pass millimetres away from a player on the stretch at the far post, or a heavy touch away from a forward being one-on-one with the ‘keeper. These are not the kind of moves which make the highlights reel, unlike vicious shots from 35 yards or a simple and expected save from a near post shot on a tight angle, but they are the small margins by which games can be won or lost.

Think of Mesut’s sublime pick-out for Arsenal’s first goal yesterday. It gets the replays because Oli put the ball in the back of the net, but had it been a couple of centimetres behind our forward, it would have been just another move that was merrily struck from the game’s history. But that doesn’t change the quality of the idea.

The English media

Of course the biggest reason of all is that the English media has a certain style that they idolise.

Kicking, fouling and general skulduggery are often applauded as the necessary dark arts of the game, perhaps a reason Coquelin has been attributed with turning this entire Arsenal team into serious challengers. Outward but ineffective shows of effort, such as the futile goalkeeper pressing, are deemed superior to the subtler and more focussed efforts born of intelligence.

It’s not hard to envisage a pundit criticising teammates for not supporting the player pressing the goalkeeper, rather than taking a moment to wonder why the forward is closing the stopper down when there is a simple pass open to either side.

Ultimately, Ozil is the archetypal Wenger player, favouring the effective over the showy, and of course, it is not fashionable to rate Arsene or, consequently, his Arsenal players.

He may never win league-wide accolades or even convince fans of opposition clubs to question the criticism drip-fed to them by the media, but as long as people continue to ignore Mesut and give him less than the hype he deserves, it only serves to make him more dangerous.

And when Ozil is dangerous, so are Arsenal.