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Ozil - How I became a pass master

Mesut Ozil has revealed the secrets behind his exceptional passing ability.

The Germany international had a fine second season at the club, scoring five goals and claiming nine assists in 32 appearances.

Arsene Wenger has often praised Ozil’s ability to control matches and the player puts it down to the skills he learnt while growing up.

"I see things that some other players may not, and that’s why it’s important for me to have that instinct"

Mesut Ozil

“I started playing football with my brother from a very early age,” Ozil told Arsenal Player. “I had the opportunity to play in tight spaces with my friends and my brother, and they were all older than me.

“Through that I had the opportunity to control the ball in the tightest gaps at a young age and that shows today. I’m really thankful for that time.

“You always have the opportunity to improve aspects of your game like finishing, ball control and passing. You can train that but as a youngster, I always played with older people in tight areas and that brought me forward.”

While Ozil constantly works on his passing, he says that much of his game is based on what comes naturally to him on the pitch.

“I make a lot of decisions instinctively,” he said. “You can practice passes and other aspects of your game a lot, but I decide a lot through instinct.

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“I see things that some other players may not, and that’s why it’s important for me to have that instinct. It takes me forward on the pitch because nowadays you have to take decisions quickly and if you didn’t have instinct, it would be much tougher.”

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