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Arsenal and Premier League star Mesut Özil has long been famous for a peculiar sort of finish, which is referred to as the chop shot or bounce shot. Essentially a variant of the looping chip shot, in the German's version, the ball doesn't see as much air time and goes high enough to avoid an onrushing goalkeeper. This also helps give the ball a top-spin due to the contact he makes with his in-step.
In a video on Arsenal's official YouTube page, football skillers Timbsy and Specs Gonzales spoke to the Premier League attacking midfielder about his famous shooting method and attempted to learn it from the EPL great.
The Premier League star's secret behind his trademark move
When asked why Özil does it, he said,
"If I am in front of the goal and the goalkeeper is running towards me, if you chip the ball sometimes the defender can clear it. If you chip it, it goes slowly towards the goal."
He continued,
"But if you do it like *this* (gestures motion of the chop shot), it's quicker. And don't forget that when the keepers run towards they'll also jump in one direction so if you fake a shot and then do this then they wouldn't expect it."
Speaking on the trademark trick, Özil began by saying,
"The secret is that you have to keep the ball close to you. The ball shouldn't be too fast either, otherwise the ball won't jump too high. Take a good first touch, settle the ball and hit it with power from here (points to the in-step)."
The Premier League midfielder has been associated with this particular variant of the shot for some time now. He is seen pulling off this outrageous finish regularly and most notably did so in the six-goal thriller against Liverpool in a 2017 Premier League fixture.
Apart from scoring goals, the EPL playmaker also uses this variant of the chip shot to pass the ball in tricky situations.
Speaking on this innovative approach to getting the ball off the ground, EPL and Arsenal great Ian Wright said,
"He bounces it on purpose. He did it against Huddersfield and he kicked down on it against Bournemouth. Instead of chipping it over a keeper he bounces it over him. You can see him telling everyone what he did [while celebrating]."
The legendary Premier League striker added,
"It's just such a brave finish for someone to do. It's brilliant. It's the Özil."
Özil and Arsenal were in the midst of a battle for Champions League football next season as they sit ninth on the Premier League table with 40 points from their 28 games.
From a potential voiding of the Premier League season to talks now on a modified campaign, the EPL might finally be set to resume after all. Project Restart has proposed a plan to the clubs, which allows them to finish the season behind closed doors at neutral venues.
This hasn't been received well by several EPL clubs as the likes of Aston Villa and Watford have spoken staunchly against the proposal. All 20 Premier League clubs are set to have a meeting and take a vote on the future of the 2019/20 EPL season later this month.
