Arsene Wenger has revealed that Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil’s physical presence has taken him by surprise this season.
Ozil missed a chunk of the current campaign with a knee injury and returned to action in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Stoke City in January.
Arsenal’s club record signing has played a key role in their good run of form in the league and created both the goals in their 2-0 win over Everton last weekend.
Known for his elegance and panache on the ball, many believe the German doesn’t enjoy a physical battle out on the pitch, but Wenger stressed that his physical presence has taken him by surprise this season.
“I knew he had a good physical potential, but I did not know how good he was physically”, Wenger said in a press conference.
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“He has a huge physical potential.”
Ozil has been criticised for his low work ethic and his tendency to drift in and out of games, but Wenger feels that the playmaker works as hard as anyone else on the pitch. The Arsenal boss added that the German’s elegance and style sometimes masks the amount of effort he puts into each and every game.
“We are all in a job where in every single game we have to prove a point. I believe he has the quality, he puts a lot of effort in to help the team and he works much harder than his style shows.
“You can be cheated a little bit by his style of play, because he is fluent, easy, subtle and he does not look like he puts the effort in, but he does.”
Ozil might have to play a central role if Arsenal are to turn around their recent dismal record at Old Trafford and beat Manchester United in the FA quarter-final on Monday night.
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