Mesut Ozil: I love Mourinho and he is the best manager in the world

Arsenal suffered a second defeat in three games last night as Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea marched into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory at the Emirates.

The result leaves Arsene Wenger reeling as he stretches his personal winless run against Mourinho to 9 matches and leaves his side with only the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League as attainable trophies this season. The defeat came despite Wenger bringing on Mesut Ozil in the 63? minute as they looked for a way back into the game, but only minutes later the tie was settled as Juan Mata scored a peach of a goal to hit back at his own critics.

Ozil caused a stir after the match, though. After the final whistle the German international sought the attention of Mourinho, the player’s mentor during his time at Real Madrid, and the pair embraced in a hug as Ozil handed over his match shirt in respect to the Portuguese manager’s influence on his career.

‘I gave my jersey to Mourinho because he’s the best coach in the world and I love him like a father.’

Ozil shone under Mourinho during his time in the Spanish capital, becoming a key player in the Los Blancos side that managed to beat Barcelona to the 2011/12 La Liga title and disrupting their dominance in Spanish football.

Wenger, whose relationship with Mourinho looks to have improved since he was referred to as a voyeur, owes a lot to the Chelsea manager for having a positive influence on Ozil’s career. The German playmaker is now looking to guide Arsenal to their first trophy since 2005 and end the years of torment endured by fans of the North London club.