Sunday’s thrilling victory over Liverpool by Arsenal improved their chances of winning the Premier League, and Ozil was especially impressed with one of his former teammates.
Mesut Ozil, a former Arsenal player, praised Bukayo Saka after the winger played a pivotal part in the Gunners’ thrilling victory over Liverpool on Sunday.
Gabriel Martinelli’s first goal was largely thanks to Saka, who then added two more goals to give Mikel Arteta’s team the victory. The 21-year-old, who has played a significant part in Arsenal’s ascent to the top of the Premier League standings, put on yet another strong performance.
He has also won Ozil’s respect, who is currently out of commission following surgery. Before Saka left the Emirates Stadium in January 2021, the attacking midfielder shared the field with him for a season.
After Arsenal’s victory, the German was very clear about who he thought was their player of the game. The man in question was Saka, to whom Ozil publicly professed his love on social media.
“I only have love for my boy @BukayoSaka87. dazzling the Premier League with their play “Tweets from Ozil. The two have a strong bond from their time spent playing together, as Saka retorts: “And I love you, M10 #YaGunnersYa.”
Not just Ozil, but other spectators to the match on Sunday, were left applauding Saka. The winger has also garnered praise from Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who thinks Arsenal’s success will depend on him.
Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast that the young wide player has “a big talent, is a tough kid, and when you watch him he just wants the ball all the time, shows for the ball all the time, is enthusiastic, brings life to the crowd, everything you’d want in a young wide player.”
“He’s tenacious, an incredibly talented player, and I have to admit that I thought he was quiet in the first half of the game because Liverpool played better during that time. Nevertheless, he perseveres and continues to perform his duties.
“He gets stronger in the second half, and the penalty is a big moment. The crowd was anticipating it, and Liverpool’s seasoned players delayed the penalty to put pressure on him.
“Because of Alisson’s size, you might assume that if he dives correctly, he will save the ball. However, he did dive correctly but failed to save, which indicates how accurately he hit the penalty. Congratulations to Saka! He is a breath of fresh air and you can’t help but like everything he does. Even when he plays poorly, he is always present.”
Saka’s two goals enabled Arsenal to pull 14 points clear of Liverpool, who were anticipated to challenge for the title, and maintain their lead over Manchester City at the top of the table. The Arsenal’s next match is in the Europa League on Thursday when they visit Bodo/Glimt.
It’s likely that they will rest their star player for the match at the Aspmyra Stadion on Sunday. However, he will probably start again when Arteta’s team visits Leeds United on Sunday for their subsequent Premier League game.