Equally important is how the quality and understanding around him at Arsenal has improved. Ozil will never be the raw engine of a team. He is not a Roy Keane, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi in being likely to single-handedly galvanise a struggling side. He is the luxury oil. Some players actually shrink in stature and influence when they play alongside world-class talent. Ozil is the opposite. He gets better. That is why it was natural that his biggest struggles at Arsenal coincided with injuries at the club and how developing partnerships with Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott have been so important.