Wenger hails Ozil as Arsenal go top of EPL table News

Navigation: Home / News / Euro Soccer Update / Wenger hails Ozil as Arsenal go top of EPL table

Wenger hails Ozil as Arsenal go top of EPL table

By Daily Sports on December 29, 2015

Arsene Wenger Monday evening hailed Mesut Ozil as the best player in the English Premier League and an equal of Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp following another influential display in a 2-0 win over Bournemouth.

German midfielder Ozil made one goal and scored another at the Emirates Stadium to help Arsenal back to the top of the table, leaving pundits running out of superlatives to describe his performance.

It was an evening when Arsenal rebounded from their 4-0 hammering at Southampton on Saturday with a convincing display that reaffirmed their title credentials and secured a fourth win in their last five league games.

The Gunners are one point clear of second placed Leicester, who can regain pole position if Claudio Ranieri’s surprise title contenders defeat fourth placed Manchester City today.

Wenger’s men were in front when Ozil’s cross was guided high into the corner of the net by Brazilian defender Gabriel in the 27th minute for his first goal for Arsenal.

It was Ozil’s league leading 16th assist of the season and the German midfielder almost had another before the interval when Gabriel struck a post from his set-piece.

Ozil took matters into his own hands again in the 63rd minute as the former Real Madrid star side-footed home from Olivier Giroud’s pass.

There was also a significant milestone for Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech, who set a new Premier League record of 170 clean sheets, with 162 of those coming in his time at Chelsea.

Ozil’s statistics are astonishing even by his own high standards.

So far this season he has made 16 assists and score five goals in the Premier League closing in fast on the all-time record of 20 assists set by another Arsenal great Thierry Henry.

Against Bournemouth he set another mark, too, creating nine goalscoring opportunities for team-mates the highest figure registered in the league this season.

No wonder why Wenger was happy to suggest his midfielder has been peerless in the league this season.

When asked if Ozil is now the best player in the Premier League, he said simply: “Look at the number of the assists and they speak for him.”

The Frenchman also acknowledged comparison with Dutch forward Bergkamp, who was such an inspiration in Wenger’s early days in north London.

“Bergkamp was more of a goalscorer than him. But now Ozil becomes a goalscorer too. They could be comparable,” he said.

•With reports by SuperSport. Photo shows the talismanic Mesut Ozil.

Source Daily Sports

Posted December 29, 2015