Arsenal can win the Premier League title this season if their world-class players stay fit, according to Mesut Özil.
Özil, speaking to Bild before Germany’s Euro 2016 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland, said Arsenal had shown in their 3-0 win over Manchester United that they have what it takes to succeed. The result left Arsenal second in the table, level on points with United, and just two behind leaders Manchester City.
“We have a great team with many world-class players,” he said. “Our goal is to win the Premier League and I think that this season it’s possible to do it, if we all stay healthy. But the season is long.”
Özil added that the United match had shown Arsenal can also provide a real test for Bayern Munich in the Champions League on 20 October, despite their intimidating form.
“I didn’t expect them to beat Dortmund 5-1. Their recent results show they are simply in great shape … But our victory against Manchester United was a sign: when we play and want it 100%, then we can beat Bayern.
“We are playing at home. Although we have respect for them, we don’t have any fear. We know how to score goals against Bayern and we can be successful. It will be difficult – but we have the potential to beat any team.”
Speaking after the United game, Özil’s team-mate Francis Coquelin said he believed Arsenal had sent a strong message to their critics, but still needed more consistency.
“We proved a lot of people wrong. Inside the dressing room we knew we could do good things this season. We knew we could be contenders, but obviously we have to be consistent.
“We are getting stronger against the big teams. We beat City last season, now United. It’s all about consistency. The league is getting tougher, so we need to be getting results every week … We knew we had to put it right after Olympiakos and that’s what we’ve done.”
