Ozil says overdue trophy will be ‘springboard for more’ for Arsenal
May 16, 2014
Mesut Ozil, Arsenal’s club-record signing, is convinced that if his side can overcome Hull City to lift the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, more titles will follow.
Arsenal face Hull manager Steve Bruce’s side, looking to end a near decade without silverware, with their last success coming in the 2005 FA Cup final.
Ozil, signed from Real Madrid for £43.5 million (Dh268.9m) in September, just returned following a hamstring injury to provide a timely boost for Arsenal, who should have England midfielder Jack Wilshere available along with Aaron Ramsey, although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is battling to overcome a groin problem.
Ozil, 25, said that once the current Arsenal squad get their first taste of success, it will prove a springboard for more.
“We are in the final and we want to take this silverware now,” the German said. “I am convinced we will achieve that.
“We can win titles with this squad. This is very important for the fans as well, because they have been waiting for so long.
“I am very proud of the team. We qualified for the [Uefa] Champions League and we are in the FA Cup final. If we can win the cup, then it will be a great season.
“However, it will be a tough game because Hull fights till the end. Nowhere else other than in England are there so many teams who never give up.”
Ozil could be one of three Germans in the Arsenal starting line-up at Wembley, along with forward Lukas Podolski and defender Per Mertesacker.
Podolski knows the weight of expectation will firmly be on his side to finally deliver.
“We want a victory, so do the fans, and it is important for the club as well, after nine years with nothing,” he said.
“You go to Wembley, there are 40,000 or 50,000 Arsenal fans. The FA Cup is a big cup with a lot of history. It is not like the other cups in other leagues, so it is an important game.
“When I win the FA Cup, it will be great when I look back after my career.”
Arsenal are prepared for the challenge of ending the drought, Podolski said.
“We have a lot of players with confidence who have played a lot of games,” he said. “We go there on the pitch and we play our game, and when we play like the last five [Premier League] games, we will win the match.”
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Published: May 16, 2014 04:00 AM
