A new Ozil?

Mesut Ozil scored the first hat-trick of his career as Arsenal stormed to a 6-0 win over Ludogorets at the Emirates Stadium. The playmaker has added cutting edge to his game, writes Nick Wright, and the Gunners are feeling the benefits…

At the end of August, when Mesut Ozil headed Arsenal’s third goal in their 3-1 win over Watford at Vicarage Road, Arsene Wenger laid down a challenge. “We know he can give assists but we hope he can get the goals,” he said. “We want 10 to 15 goals from him, plus the chances he creates.”

Ozil had equalled a Premier League record with 19 assists in the previous campaign, but eight goals in 45 league and cup appearances represented a modest total – despite being his best yet for Arsenal. Wenger was convinced that the German had more to offer in front of goal, and recent evidence suggests Ozil was listening.

He struck his second of the season when Arsenal dismantled Chelsea in September, and there was a stunning third on his birthday against Swansea. The Premier League’s most creative player was finally playing with a cutting edge of his own, and he made his most emphatic statement yet against Ludogorets on Wednesday night.

Arsenal played with the scintillating speed that has typified their recent performances, cutting the brittle visitors open at will and running riot in the second half. They were already three goals up when Ozil got his first, brilliantly cushioning Santi Cazorla’s 40-yard pass and finishing coolly beyond the …

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