Mesut Ozil has claimed new Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta is restoring “the old Arsenal virtues” and has brought the joy back to their football.

The Gunners travel to Crystal Palace Saturday lunchtime looking to extend a promising start to Arteta’s tenure which has so far featured an impressive win over Manchester United and a hard-fought FA Cup victory over Leeds United.

Ozil found himself a peripheral figure under Arteta’s predecessor Unai Emery as speculation persisted that the midfielder could leave the club but the 31-year-old has started all four matches under the Spaniard, showing signs of improved form.

And asked to describe Arteta’s influence, Ozil said: “It is basically getting us back to the old Arsenal virtues. Having the possession, being in control of the game, having the ball all the time.

“These are the things that he is working on with us and you can see it – everyone is smiling, laughing, enjoying their time at the moment and this has made us be successful now.

“We are really enjoying everything at the moment. You can see we have a structure on the pitch now. Everyone knows what their job is on the pitch and we are very happy to have won these two games [against United and Leeds].”

Ozil was brought back in from the cold prior to Emery’s sacking in November but the former Arsenal boss had a difficult relationship with the midfielder, regularly questioning his work ethic and overall contribution to the team.

However, Arteta played with Ozil for three years prior to his retirement in 2016 and the ex-Germany international believes the understanding they had back then can help him thrive now.

Arsenal January transfer targets 2020 6 show all Arsenal January transfer targets 2020 1/6 It looks like defensive reinforcements are at the top of Arsenal's wishlist during Mikel Arteta's first transfer window in charge. Here are the main names in the frame... PA 2/6 Pablo Mari Club: Flamengo



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AFP via Getty Images 6/6 Nathan Ake Club: Bournemouth



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REUTERS 1/6 It looks like defensive reinforcements are at the top of Arsenal's wishlist during Mikel Arteta's first transfer window in charge. Here are the main names in the frame... PA 2/6 Pablo Mari Club: Flamengo



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Age: 26



Getty Images 3/6 Dayot Upamecano Club: RB Leipzig



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AFP via Getty Images 4/6 Jerome Boateng Club: Bayern Munich



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Age: 31 REUTERS 5/6 Daniele Rugani Club: Juventus



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AFP via Getty Images 6/6 Nathan Ake Club: Bournemouth



Position: Centre-back



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“Every manager is different and obviously I have had some world class managers throughout my career,” he said.

“Mikel Arteta is different to the others but he is very focused on the ball and wants to make us very successful and I think he is the right man at this club.

“I was a bit surprised [Arteta was appointed at Arsenal] but on the other hand, time flies quite quickly and I remember when he went to work [as a coach] with Pep Guardiola at Man City, it was quite obvious he would become a manager soon. I am really happy that he is here with us at the moment because this is the right time. We are all happy to have him here.

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“We have a normal relationship. We were team-mates. We respected each other a lot and he was already a team captain at the time so in general players respected him and now he has just continued building up on that.

“As a playmaker, I need a lot of space. His playing style allows me to get that space and it is so important to be successful.”

Palace are unbeaten in their past three League meetings against Arsenal – including October’s 2-2 draw at Emirates Stadium when Granit Xhaka swore at his own fans in an incident which subsequently saw him stripped of the captaincy – and Ozil added: “Crystal Palace is always a difficult place. They are very aggressive and the fans are pushing the team so it will not be easy for us.

“But if we follow our manager’s gameplan and do what he wants, we will be fine and can get the three points. The only thing is we really have to work and fight hard for the entire 90 minutes – we can’t just turn up and try to play well for 45 minutes. We showed in the last couple of games that if we do that, we can be successful.”