Don´t worry Gooners, this former Arsenal star has not completely lost the plot. Gilberto Silva, one of our great invincibles, is not suggesting that our German international play maker can somehow inspire the current version of the Gunners to overtake Man City and Chelsea and claim the Premier League title this season.
But the Brazilian does believe that Mesut Ozil could be the key to us becoming champions of England again, perhaps next time around. Gilberto is clearly a fan of the German´s abilities and believes that our record signing has what it takes to turn Arsenal from nearly men into glory men.
But the former Gunner also accepts that Ozil needs to give a little bit more in order to do that. He needs to be a bit more decisive in what he does on the pitch and make sure that he makes the most of his undoubted quality. And in an interview reported by The Mirror, Gilberto feels that the key to Ozil doing this is really understanding what Arsenal, Wenger and English football are all about.
He said, “You speak about Arsenal and how they don’t spend big money on a player often but they did with (Mesut) Ozil and it is always a bit risky,” said Silva. “Coming from Spain it is tough to adapt, it doesn’t always happen straight away.
“I think the most important thing is that the player understands the philosophy of the team, the philosophy of the manager and the expectation from the fans.
“I do really like him as a player but sometimes in the game he does look quite slow, although he has that quality to change the game.
“He can be more decisive for Arsenal for the quality he has, he can be much more decisive for the club.
“Arsenal hasn’t been able to compete with Chelsea and Manchester City for a few years because they spend money on big names and this is not the Arsenal culture.
“They don’t spend a lot of money to sign players but apart from that it is not easy to find a way to get back on track to win titles.
“It was important for them last season that they won the FA Cup but a team like Arsenal need more and I hope they find a way to achieve what they always look for.
“If you look at Chelsea, they spent a lot of money on a player like Diego Costa and he has settled really well and is scoring lots of goals, that has worked for them but it is not as easy for Arsenal.
“If the players concentrate on their job and pull together they can form a strong team and try to feel good in their play. Sometimes people expect quick results but it doesn’t always work like that.
“It is a big task for the manager. Arsene will always make a plan for his side, he will have watched the opponents and will have known their strengths and weaknesses and how he wants his team to play.
“But when the game goes wrong, like it did against Monaco, it is really tough.
“Sometimes things don’t work but he is always motivated to get it right. All the players need to be like that too, they need to be confident for the game and have that fight.
“They also need to concentrate on what they need to do and then the consequence of that will be the result they want.
“I watched Arsenal’s last game against Everton and sometimes they can take a while to find their rhythm but when they do they can be a devastating team.
“They try things differently and move the ball well across the pitch.”
And Ozil can be the master architect of our passing game, and often is. So will next season be the one for Arsenal, Wenger and his German midfielder?