Arsenal won emphatically at the Emirates Stadium against Leicester City, but the plaudits belong to one man and one man only. Mesut Ozil.
Wow, take a bow, Mesut Ozil. The captain on the night, and the deserved man of the match. Arsenal came away as 3-1 winners, and it was all down to their captain.
Heading into the match, there were many raised eyebrows by the decision to set Mesut Ozil as captain. He’s never been known to dive into tackles, shout at his teammates, or make the gut-busting runs to defend. Sadly, these are the traits which the fans of the English Premier League have identified with being a leader.
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But it takes brilliance from Mesut Ozil to knock down these ideas. Leading by example is a very real leadership trait, with it not only having an impact on the scoreline, but also the teammates surrounding the captain.
Tonight, the play-maker showed us a vintage performance. He was involved in every Arsenal goal, picking up a goal and an assist. His assist was perhaps his most notorious involvement of the night. It was a goal that even Arsene Wenger would be proud of because the style he implemented during his lengthy tenure was put into practice by Unai Emery’s new men.
Ozil needed this performance more than anyone. Not only to prove the English pundits wrong but also to kick on from everything which happened in the summer involving the German national team.
Arsenal has yet to lose or even draw a game in ten matches now, keeping their 100% record alive. This win sees them climb to fourth in the table, just two points behind Manchester City who top the table. While it’s still early days, don’t sleep on Arsenal to succeed this season, and don’t sleep on Ozil to pick up the plaudits.
What did you make of Mesut Ozil’s display?