Mesut Özil is without doubt one of the Green-Whites big winners thus far this season. Not only does the 20 year old play a major role in the plans of Werder coach Thomas Schaaf but he is also...
Mesut Özil is without doubt one of the Green-Whites big winners thus far this season. Not only does the 20 year old play a major role in the plans of Werder coach Thomas Schaaf but he is also...
Mesut Özil is without doubt one of the Green-Whites big winners thus far this season. Not only does the 20 year old play a major role in the plans of Werder coach Thomas Schaaf but he is also a vital part of Dieter Eilts German U21 set-up whilst his talents have also been noted by German national team coach Jogi Löw and Turkish national trainer Fatih Terim. WERDER.DE spoke to Özil in an exclusive interview.
werder.de: Mesut, how would you evaluate the current situation within the team?
Mesut Özil: “We have of course spent a lot of time pondering over the situation. It is of course clear that we intended to notch up more than one win from our last seven games. We need to continue working now – there is nothing else that we can do. The 5-1 win over Hertha BSC was definitely a good way to start.
How is the level of motivation when you start as a candidate for the title but find yourselves trailing in a mid-table position?
Mesut Özil: “I have no problem with that. Something like that actually spurns me on. I still want to be playing among the top teams. It may sound a little crazy but we’re still not out of the race yet. The Bundesliga is so unpredictable this year that we can still make it. The teams at the top of the table now will be put under pressure by the teams in the midfield. That doesn’t just mean us, but also Stuttgart, who I rate a lot more highly than their position in the table would imply. We’ve already beaten Hoffenheim and Bayern too. We are also a lot better on the ball than Schalke. Their only advantage over us is the danger they pose from set plays. We still have what it takes to make a title bid but that means we cannot afford to unnecessarily drop further points.”
On the way back to the top, you personally play a very important role. When you made the move back in January, did you think that you would be expected to take on such responsibility so quickly?
Mesut Özil: “I certainly didn’t doubt that. I am well aware of my strengths and put on some good performances playing for Schalke too. Since coming here I’ve been able to confirm my ability and I am very happy about that. My target always has to be to make the starting eleven.”
