Ozil - Why we call Francis 'the pitbull'

Mesut Ozil says the form of Santi Cazorla and the “pitbull” Francis Coquelin has aided his fine start to the season.

The German international has impressed in the first three months of the season, scoring twice and claiming nine assists.

 

Ozil is pleased with his form and says the platform given to him by Arsenal’s more defensive-minded midfielders has helped him to excel.

 

“I know that Santi is a very technically-gifted player, just as Francis is,” he told Arsenal Player. “We call Francis 'the pitbull' because he’s very aggressive and always gives 100 per cent.

“I’m pleased to be able to have those players behind me. But you need to praise the whole team.

“We fight for each other and are like a small family. You can sense that on the pitch. It shows that we are hungry for success and that’s why I want to praise the whole team.

“You see in the games that we can change players. Giroud is a different type of player to Walcott or Alexis.

“We have important and good players in attack who are hungry for goals. Those three have scored many goals already this season and you can see that we need them because they always want to score. That’s good for Arsenal.”

Ozil feels he is benefitting from a first full pre-season since 2013.

“Last season, I was out with my knee injury for a few months,” he explained. “This year I feel fit. I have no injuries and can perform well in games. At the moment, things are going really well.”