Per Mertesacker Talks Mesut Ozil, Arsenal Tactics, Premier League Hopes and More

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has cited Mesut Ozil as the key man if the Gunners are to go on and win the Premier League this season.

Arsene Wenger’s side asserted themselves as favourites for the title with a 2-1 win over Manchester City on Monday night. It was a game that saw Ozil add another two assists to his tally this season and Mertesacker has revealed the rest of the team are actively seeking out the playmaker to impact games, per Paul Jiggins of the Sun:

Yeah he is vital for us, especially when we play that deep. We want to get him the ball in the final third, that is what we are trying to do every single time. He is the main threat. He gives a good pass at the right moment and he can see the difference, so we try to find him.

That’s the solution for us, to expose the back four, then he’s really dangerous when he gets into that pocket and plays the ball behind.

After three seasons in the division, Ozil has found his feet in spectacular fashion. The Arsenal No. 11 is a unique footballer who possesses incredible vision on the ball, brings team-mates into play in dangerous areas and turns the opposition defenders with his supreme through balls.

As we can see here courtesy of OptaJoe, they’re attributes that have seen the former Real Madrid man tot up some incredible statistics:

Ozil opens up different ways of playing for Arsenal. That much was evident on Monday, as they were happy to retreat into a shape against City and then spring forward to exploit the spaces left by their ambitious opponents.

Mertesacker thinks being able to play in different ways will be important to achieving any success. “We are now capable of doing different things sometimes and that is what makes it harder for the opponent,” he said. “That is now in our thoughts and that is why we implement them into games. We are so dangerous on the counter-attack and that makes us a real threat.”

It’s certainly encouraging to hear Arsenal are willing to be adaptable in pursuit of Premier League glory. Being versatile in their approach to different opponents is so important and will continue to be so when the Gunners make the trip to venues like Anfield, the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford in the second half of the campaign.

As James Olley of the London Evening Standard noted at half-time in the game, the Gunners’ tactics were working superbly as they raced into a two-goal lead:

This willingness to surprise opponents could well be the catalyst for a run at the Premier League title, but Arsenal still have a long way to go.

Indeed, there have been times in campaigns gone by when the Gunners have looked well placed to challenge, before fading away late on; with tough games to come away from home, it’s not something that’s out of the question yet.

“We haven’t proven anything yet and we haven’t been that consistent that we can talk about that — that is my opinion,” conceded Mertesacker. "We go game by game and concentrate on having a gameplan and trying to implement it. That has been our strength so far against the big teams and it makes us stronger as a unit."

The omens certainly seem to be positive, though, as we can see here courtesy of the Match of the Day Twitter feed:

Arsenal must be the favourites now, even with shock leaders Leicester City two points ahead of them. The Gunners haven’t hauled themselves to new levels this season, but with various goings on at City, Manchester United and Chelsea, they’ve been the best of the established elite. This season is surely the time to embrace this tag.

They look better placed to do so as well. With the unflappable Petr Cech between the sticks, Mertesacker performing well, Olivier Giroud on form and Ozil purring, this is a team that has all the pieces in place to become champions.