Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has praised returning stars Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott for their performance in the game against Aston Villa.
With respect to Ozil, Arsene said, a Ita s always, a where does he play? On the left, in the middle? I think he still lacks a little bit of competitive edge on sharpness but the quality of his game is exceptional and hea s getting back now.
a He worked very, very hard physically and hea s now ready to play again.a
Arsene had similar praise for Theo Walcott as well
a I still feel he can score a goal in every game,a he said. a In his overall game I still think he needs some more sharpness and more contact.
a Hea s a very intelligent player and the quality of Theoa s game is about the quality of his movement, the quality of his receptions, where he gets the ball. He knows where to be dangerous and when hea s in front of goal he can score.
a I was quite surprised because in the first half he was through but then Jores Okore caught up with him and I think that once hea s through, you know that nobody can catch him. Okore must be very quick!a
Arsene also talked about Walcotta s goal and how confident he is. He said, a I would agree [that Walcott intercepted a pass not intended for him when he scored]. He wanted it and once youa re 3-0 up and you take the strikers off, they all want to stay on because they want to score more goals.
I believe that he is so quick and he understands football. In the final third hea s always dangerous.a
But he was cautious about Theo, saying he needed contact. a He needs to get used to contact. Physical contact. In every game he is stronger now.a
With all his injured players coming back into the team, and close to having a full Arsenal squad, Arsene now has a selection headache. But he wasna t complaining. a Yes of course but my job is about selection. Sometimes, no matter who you select, you can be wrong. No matter who you select, you can be right as well when you have the quality. You cannot really be wrong because all the players have the quality to play.a
When asked if Arsenal still had a chance at winning the Premier League title, Arsene said, a Ita s too early to say [that Arsenal can still have a say]. We are 11 points behind – that means they need to lose four games and we need to win four. I believe that we should try to be consistent and see what happens. I told you, you asked me my predictions [for the Chelsea v Manchester City game]. I said a draw and I was not wrong because Chelsea had one shot on target and Manchester City three or four. It was a draw.a