It is always a good thing to have confidence, especially in football as in any professional sport it helps the players top get the best out of themselves and be more relaxed going into big games or competitions. And after Arsenal beat our Premier League rivals Manchester United with such a convincing showing last weekend it is easy to understand why the Gunners have plenty of self belief right now.
On the other hand, you cannot simply ignore the fact that Arsenal have not been great all the time this season and have already had two or three periods when the word crisis was being brought up all too often. So I would definitely take a little pinch of salt with the words of Mesut Ozil this week, reported by the Daily Mail.
The 26-year old midfield star has been talking up our chances of winning the EPL title this season and he believes that a relatively injury free campaign would give us a fantastic chance, thanks to the quality and squad depth available to Arsene Wenger.
The play maker has spent the last five years in Spain and England but he is well aware of what goes on in the Bundesliga and as a Germany international he trains and plays with the likes of Mario Gotze, Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer on a regular basis. So his claim that Arsenal know how to get the better of our Champions League rivals Bayern Munich is certainly a bold one.
Ozil said, “It is true that there is a lot of pressure on us in the Champions League. We can beat Bayern, though, if we play at the same level as against Manchester United.
“I was a bit surprised to see Bayern beat Dortmund 5-1. Bayern’s results show that they are in great form.
“We have a lot of respect for Bayern, but we are not afraid of them. We are playing at home and we know how to score goals and be successful against Bayern.
“Of course, it will not be easy, but we have the potential to beat any team.
“We have a great team with a lot of world-class players.
“Our goal is to win the Premier League title. I think we can achieve it this season if we do not get any major injuries.
“But the season is still long.”
It certainly is Mesut and there is a lot that can happen between now and May, although I do believe Arsenal have a chance. But when it comes to beating Bayern and qualifying from the Champions League group, is Ozil´s belief just a bit too unrealistic?