Arsenal have gone unbeaten in all competitions since their loss to Liverpool on the opening day of the season and now look like serious contenders for the title. The Gunners continued their form with a 6-0 mauling of Ludogorets in the Champions League, with their German superstar, Mesut Ozil netting a second-half hat-trick, taking his goal tally to six in all competitions this season.
Talking to the London Evening Standard, new signing Shkodran Mustafi calls his German compatriot as a fantastic player who is crucial to the Gunners setup.
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“It's about having an identity,” he said, “These players at Arsenal have all won titles and probably the best squad I've played it,” said the German centre-back about his new team-mates
Mustafi spoke about how he even has to criticise Ozil, “Sometimes I have to criticise him as well because that’s how football is. Everyone makes mistakes and we have to be professional with it. Sometimes we criticise ourselves the most, it’s not people out there that criticise us, it’s ourselves who criticise us the most.”
We are reading the game well, says Mustafi
Arsenal are unbeaten in 11 games, with 9 wins and 2 draws and the defender puts it down to football intelligence and the balance of the team.
“We are doing well reading the game, because sometimes it's important to go up there and win the ball in the last third of the pitch.”
“But sometimes it's about being back, being compact and trying to win the ball in the middle of the pitch. I think that's what makes big teams win titles, reading the game well. It's not only about us just keeping playing our game.”
“Sometimes if you see that it doesn't work you have to change it and you have to be able to change your style of play.”
“And we're doing that well, because sometimes we're just playing always in the half of the opponent, and sometimes we'll just drop and play counter-attack.”
Wenger recently revealed that Ozil is unstoppable in training and scores constantly, but Mustafi disagreed with his manager and said that the German attacker is okay in training but during the game, with space in the final third and the ball at Ozil’s feet, he’s likely to find the back of the net.
With clean sheets against Chelsea, Burnley, Basel and Ludogorets, Mustafi has settled into his new team seamlessly since his arrival from Valencia in the summer. He has been praised for being vocal on the pitch and being a commanding on-field presence.
Arsenal sit on top of their Champions League group and currently second in the Premier League only on goal difference to Man City.
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