Arsenal have potential to win Premier League with Ozil, says Robert Pires

The Gunners legend has told Goal that the
present squad has come of age under Arsene
Wenger and should be able to win their first
trophy in eight years
EXCLUSIVE
By Lolade Adewuyi
Arsenal should be able to win the English
Premier League this year with the present
squad, according to club legend Robert Pires.
The club now has a mix of youth and
experience that could help them to their first
trophy in eight years since their golden
generation last won the FA Cup in 2005, a
squad where Pires played a key part.
The retired French man feels that the key to
rejuvenating their title hopes lies in new
summer acquisition Mesut Ozil who led the
Gunners to a 3-1 victory over Stoke City on
Sunday.
“It’s possible [for Arsenal to win] because now
the young players have grown up and have
more experience. They also have a good mix
for [Arsene] Wenger. If you put Ozil in the
middle, I think it’s a very good mix for
Arsenal,” Pires told Goal at a soiree organised
by Airtel to round up the Airtel Rising Stars
African youth championship in Lagos on
Sunday.
“[Ozil’s] a very good player, he plays for the
German national team, he played for Real
Madrid, now he’s playing for Arsenal. He has
the experience. I think the football will be
more simple now.”
With the Gunners also chasing glory in Europe
and hoping to get out of their famed ‘group of
death’ that includes, Napoli, Borussia
Dortmund and Marseille, Pires says that the
club should concentrate on the Premier
League.
“Seriously, I think Arsenal have a good
potential to win the Premiership. For the
Champions League I don’t know but the most
important thing is to focus on the Premiership
because it is very important for the club and
for the fans,” he said.
Another of his former teams that is not doing
too well at the moment is the French national
team where he won the World Cup in 1998.
Pires is optimistic that les Bleus will make the
World Cup to make his countrymen happy.
“When you have an opportunity to play in the
World Cup it’s very important for the people.
We’re in a very difficult group because when
you play against Spain, normally they finish
first,” said Pires.
“The team is not very good at the moment but
the most important thing is that I hope they
qualify for the World Cup in Brazil, like
Nigeria. I hope to see France and Nigeria.”
Since retiring from playing football, Pires has
taken to commentary on French TV. Asked if he
is keen to pick up coaching like former
teammates Laurent Blanc and Didier
Deschamps (former and present France
national team coaches), he said: “I don’t think
so. May be one day, but not for the moment
because the job [of coaching] is very tough. At
the moment I don’t have the character to be a
coach.
“For the moment I work in commentary for
French TV, more simple and easy,” Pires
concluded.