Published: 17 October, 2013
by STEVE BARNETT

THE Premier League action returns this weekend and, having returned from international duty unscathed, Mesut Özil is ready to keep on doing what makes him happiest of all.

Arsenal will be looking to continue their recent run of form when Norwich visit the Emirates on Saturday afternoon.

And although he’s never shy when it comes to going for goal, Özil admits it’s his assist-making prowess that gives him the most pride.

“Assists lead to success and I’m the sort of player that likes to create goals,” he said. “I think a lot of my team-mates know me as a player who is not selfish. It makes me very happy when I create goals.

“The most important thing of all is that the team reaches its goal and plays positive football.

“The manager has given me his trust,” Özil added. “I want to show my potential and have fun on the pitch. I think that I can help the team through my performances.”

Özil’s ability to ghost into space, thread passes through the eye of the needle and drift past defenders needs little introduction.

He reveals that he first learnt the art of operating in tight spaces when playing “Affenkafig”, otherwise known as cage football, back home in Germany.  

“The pitch was so small,” he recalls. “Most of the time, I played against people that were five or six years older than me. At the time I was not that tall. I had to establish myself against older and stronger people. Because the pitch was so small, we didn’t have any corners. The game always went on. This helped me to improve my technique a lot.

“That definitely made my life easier for the future. I think you can see on the pitch that I’m technically gifted.”