Arsenal: Mesut Ozil’s key to dominance couldn’t be clearer

Arsenal watched Mesut Ozil put on a masterclass in the crucial North London Derby, which just further enforces the obvious key to his success.

Arsenal entered into the North London Derby being told there was a power shift. That Tottenham were widening the gap. That Christian Eriksen was a nightmare to contend with and that Mesut Ozil was iffy at best.

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It all proved to be complete and utter garbage. Arsenal dominated every aspect of the match. Their defense? Impenetrable. Their midfield? In control. Their attack? Fluid and beautiful. There wasn’t any part of the team that slacked.

Then there was Mesut Ozil. The German maestro has struggled at times this year, but against Tottenham, he subscribed to the Jack Wilshere school of thought. He treated them like they were crap. Or rather, he made them look like they were crap.

Ozil was a complete player on the day. He wasn’t just good at creating. He was everywhere. He tracking back, winning the ball back and initiating attacking moves. His passing was spot on and it was arguably the best game he has ever had in an Arsenal shirt.

Which of course segways into the question of why he can’t always be like this. What was it about this match that made him look not only more effective, but happier? Literally, we’ve seen bad body language from him in the past, but from the off, he looked like he was having fun.

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I don’t think it should be a mystery anymore. There is one key similarity between all of Ozil’s brilliant starts, and that is in being surrounded by players that make him pop. Notice that his two best performances this year both took place with Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette on the pitch?

In those performances, he managed one goal, two assists, 12 chances created and Arsenal combined for seven goals.

That’s not a coincidence, and the sooner Arsene Wenger can grasp that the key to Ozil is the quality around him, the sooner we can get on with making him happy and, in turn, making him consistent.

There will always be off games, but it shouldn’t feel like a magic show every time he has a match like this. It should feel like every day life because Ozil is good enough to make this the regular. It’s just a matter of playing to his strengths.

Next: Highlights and Analysis from North London Derby

Thankfully, there has never been more evidence to support anything. Ever. So going forward, this should be the front three without a shred of hesitation.