Mesut Ozil's Brilliance Against Bournemouth Shows How He Has Transformed in 2015

The Premier League’s festive fixtures are occasionally short on quality. Players are tired, conditions are difficult, and teams are disrupted by enforced rotation. However, in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth, one man ensured that the calibre of play never dipped below a certain level. Mesut Ozil alone was well worth the admission price.

That’s been the case for much of the season. Were it not for the feats of Leicester City pair Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, Ozil would be well clear as the favourite to lift the Footballer of the Year Award. He may still do so: There is no-one in the Premier League who is as irresistible a creative force as Ozil at present.

It wasn’t always thus. Twelve months ago, there were serious concerns over whether Ozil would ever be able to adapt to life in the Premier League. However, since returning from injury in January, he has laid all those fears to rest.

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Against Bournemouth, he was outstanding. He created nine goalscoring chances, picking up a customary assist with his cross for Gabriel Paulista*. His passing was immaculate, with a completion rate of a staggering 95 percent. He even found time to attempt six tackles, demolishing the idea that he’s a work-shy luxury player.

Ozil has spent much of the season dismantling negative preconceptions of his game. He is now becoming the complete player. Not only is he able to pick out team-mates in open play at will, but he is developing an added threat from set pieces.

His goal contribution was justifiably criticised, but he is now making runs into the box on a regular basis.

The way he took his goal against Eddie Howe’s men was indicative of a player whose confidence is sky high. Before he could be prone to panic in front of goal, but on this occasion, he was unerringly calm, knocking the ball with exquisite nonchalance through the legs of Artur Boruc.

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When he’s on song, Ozil is an absolute joy to watch. However, he’s not just an aesthete—he’s a remarkable athlete, too. Against Bournemouth, Ozil completed 90 minutes for the second time in the space of 48 hours. In 2014, his ability to cope with the physical demands of the Premier League was questioned. He has since delivered an emphatic rebuttal.

After the Bournemouth game, Arsene Wenger was asked why he always retained faith in Ozil. In his response, he cited the German’s wondrous combination of technical precision with football intelligence.

Wenger told Arsenal.com:

"

Remarkable technical quality. Something that I enjoy very much is the timing of his passes. It is never surprising. If you think in the stand he should give the ball now—it is now. By the time you have finished your thinking the ball has gone already. He is somebody whose song is always the right tone and that is something that is very difficult to achieve in the game because on the pitch the decisions you have to make are so quick and to get that always right is not easy.

"

Wenger's faith never wavered, but Ozil’s qualities are now finding wider appreciation in football circles. It's impossible not to be won over by his skill and imagination.

Over the course of the calendar year, there has not been a better player to watch in the Premier League. Ozil has fought off the doubts and reaffirmed his status as one of world football's genuine stars, and Arsenal are the blessed beneficiaries.

*All stats via Squawka

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.