Mesut Ozil hails Arsenal’s improvement under Mikel Arteta’s management

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Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has insisted the club has improved under Mikel Arteta’s management because the players are clearer on their roles.

As per the Daily Mail, Ozil says the squad is happy under Arteta as well as knowing more what their manager is demanding.

He said: “Everyone knows. Even the players. After 60 or 70 minutes, if that player’s changing, everyone knows now in which position they have to play or how [the manager] wants to attack or make a lot of pressure on the opposite team. Everybody knows tactically that we’re improving.

“We have improved a lot tactically. We have to believe in ourselves, believe in us as a team, to do what the coach wants. We’re in a good way; you see it as well on the pitch, everyone enjoys, everyone is happy. As a player, you have to be happy to give everything on the pitch.”

TBR’s View – Were Arsenal players unclear on their roles under Emery?

Perhaps Ozil is just taking a potshot at Unai Emery, who froze him out largely during his reign.

But if there were Gunners players unclear on their roles or what they were meant to be doing when they came on under the Spaniard, that’s extremely poor given the amount of time he had to get his message across.

The most striking thing about Arsenal under Arteta is that despite the continued draws, the players have a clearer identity and there’s the sense of something building at the club.

Under Emery, Arsenal felt like they were chopping and changing too much and that is borne out by Ozil’s comments, even if his preference for Arteta may well come from the fact the new man in charge is now putting him in the side.