Monday, 22nd September, 2014
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes Mesut Ozil's performance has a direct impact on the side, with the Gunners playing well when the German turns on the style.
Ozil has seen his form criticised this season, but the attacking midfielder did create one and score another in Arsenal's 3-0 win away at Aston Villa at the weekend.
Wenger believes Ozil should be cut some slack on account of his lengthy World Cup campaign with Germany, which saw the country take home the trophy from Brazil.
"People forget that Ozil played in the World Cup [final] and only came back on August 11 – it takes some time to come back mentally and physically to your best", the French manager told his club's site.
And Wenger feels Ozil has nothing to prove to the Arsenal fans, who are aware that when the team plays well, Ozil usually has his fingerprints all over it.
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"The fans are [aware of Ozil’s qualities]. I believe everybody wants us to do well and you do well with your players of quality giving that extra-special something to the team.
"He can provide that. When the team plays well, Ozil plays well.
"If a ball comes out quickly and well from the back, he is always the one who can deliver a quality pass. His quality depends on how well we feed him from the back", Wenger concluded.
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