AGENCIES
LONDON
Arsene Wenger compared Mesut Ozil to Arsenal icon Dennis Bergkamp after the German playmaker inspired Monday's 2-0 victory over Bournemouth to send the Gunners top of the Premier League.
Ozil provided this 16th assist of the season for Gabriel's opener before showing an exquisite touch when combining with Olivier Giroud to score the second, as the Gunners recovered from their 4-0 rout at Southampton to move above Leicester City into first place. Arsenal's most influential figure is also the dominant force in this season's Premier League, with Wenger praising the World Cup winner as "exceptional."
When asked if Ozil is currently the best player in the competition, Wenger replied: "Look at the numbers on the assists and they speak for him. Yes he reminds me of Bergkamp. Bergkamp was more of a goalscorer than him and Ozil is more about assists, but now Ozil is becoming more of a goalscorer, so they are really comparable.
"I have seen a few good games from Ozil. What's important is that he's convincing everyone that he's not just a very talented player, but someone who is ready to work very hard for the team. Overall he is the complete player. I've not seen many players of his quality. He's an exceptional player and you have to give me credit -- I always defended that point of view even when people were sceptical.
"What's important is that he becomes as good as he can be, and he is on the way to doing that. At the moment he's absolutely fantastic. Mesut was the focal point of our team against Bournemouth because we had a new midfield again. He was the guy who gave reassurance with his technical security and fluidity. He gives the team confidence."
Goalkeeper Petr Cech also set a new Premier League record for clean sheets of 170 games after denying Bournemouth, moving above David James to write his name in the history books. "Petr can be very proud because it's a remarkable achievement. People don't realise how much commitment, focus and consistency is behind that," Wenger said. "On top of that he's a remarkably gifted goalkeeper. Of course, he's comparable with David Seaman."
