Wenger: Ozil 'a pleasure to watch'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has heaped praise on Mesut Ozil following the midfielder's impressive outing in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has heaped praise on Mesut Ozil following the midfielder's impressive outing in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Often maligned for his perceived lack of commitment, Ozil was influential throughout the 90 minutes and provided the cross for Olivier Giroud's sumptuous volley to open the scoring at Selhurst Park.

Wenger says the Germany international works harder than people give him credit for and praised the quality of his passing, before challenging the former Real Madrid man to get on the scoresheet more often this season.

"It was a very good performance, he was very important getting the ball out from the back in tight areas," Wenger is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

"It's a pleasure to watch the quality of his passing and the intelligence of his passing. What I want from him more is a few more goals this season.

"He was absolutely magnificent. He works harder than many people think he does. He's not spectacular in his defending, but he wants to do the job and help the team.

"What I liked in his game today was he made many runs without the ball behind the defenders which is a bit new as he likes to come with the ball but today he mixed up his game better."