Arsenal legend Robert Pires said that Mesut Ozil was the man of the match against Liverpool and that he is one of the best players he has seen.
a For me, the man of the match was Mesut Ozil,a Pires told the Arsenal Magazine. a And I am so glad that he proved his critics wrong.
a Too many people have criticised him this season and overall since he arrived at Arsenal. I train with him regularly and I can tell you that he is one of the best players I have seen.
a He loves this club and cares a lot about it. He wants to win trophies here and wants to make the fans happy, like he did against Liverpool. First, there was his wonderful pass for Aaron on the first goal. Then he scored that wonderful free-kick for the second goal.
a Again, I am not sure Mignolet can do much better because the strike is so clinical and goes out before coming back in. But Mesut also worked hard for the team, he defended, he was precious on the ball and he was simply instrumental.
a You can see that his understanding with Aaron, Santi, Alexis or Olivier is perfect. I love seeing Mesut, Aaron and Olivier exchanging those short passes.
a Liverpool could not cope with our pass and move in this game. We overrun them in midfield, pressurised them at the back and contained them up front. This is a very important win for the rest of the season but also for next season.a
Pires certainly knows what he is talking about, having had a trophy laden career himself as well as displaying his impressive skills in an Arsenal side that had already gems like Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry. To be able to go toe to toe with such phenomenal players and yet have his skills praised by everyone is no mean achievement and he was a crucial player during the invincible era.
Ozil may have had his critics during his time at Arsenal, but he could well take some inspiration from Pires, who suffered a similar media bashing when he arrived at the club. However, Pires went on to show what he was made of and Ozil seems to be doing the same with his recent performances. Having visibly bulked following his recuperation from the injury that has curtailed his season, Ozil certainly has had an impact since his return into the team and Arsenal is reaping the rewards for it.