Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil posts all-smiles picture alongside Samuel L. Jackson - but will it inspire him to a good performance?
The actor made an appearance at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday where Ozil didn't enjoy the best of games
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Your support makes all the difference.Mesut Özil may not have put in his best performance against Manchester City, but that didn’t stop him meeting a legend of the big screen as Hollywood A-list celebrity Samuel L. Jackson made an appearance in the Emirates tunnel after the match.
The star of such films as Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained and Shaft made a surprise appearance at Arsenal’s stadium to watch their 2-2 draw against the Premier League champions, having been in London for the BGC Charity Day in Canary Wharf on Friday.
While Özil was Barely Lethal in front of goal – his two efforts were both off-target – we was certainly all smiles when he met The Man himself, so much so that he posted the picture on Facebook.
Goals from Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez had cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s first-half opener, but a lapse in concentration saw Martin Demichelis head the ball home and salvage a draw for City. City went close to stealing the win at the death, but in the end the deadlock ended Unbreakable.
Özil will hope for an upturn in fortunes when the Gunners take on Borussia Dortmund in their opening Champions League encounter at the Westfalenstadion. The World Cup winner is yet to register a goal this season, and could face pressure for his place in the first-team once Theo Walcott returns to fitness.
However, his manager Arsene Wenger defended Özil’s performance on Saturday after the match, claiming that he is a crucial figure in the first team and isn’t under any pressure for a place in the starting XI.
“People always have this kind of attitude about him,” Wenger said. “He worked hard against City and he played quite well.
“You see a good Özil when you watch the game again. Then you realise his timing, his quality of the pass and something you can be frustrated during the game but you must not overreact.
“When you watch the game in a cool manner, you see what a good player he is. I have so many offensive players. I give him freedom to play outside and inside and he likes that.
“It is not easy but Özil is a team player and he takes it very well.”
Perhaps an inspirational speech from Jackson was exactly what Özil needed to kick-start his season into gear, but it's unlikely his memorable biblical monologue made famous in Pulp Fiction would have been his selected method of motivation - unless he decided to take Sir Alex Ferguson's hairdryer approach.
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