Looking at Ozil’s stats for this season, one might think that the German is struggling. The playmaker hasn’t opened his account for assists in the league and has only a single assist in the last 16 premier league matches.
The same player who grabbed 19 assists last time out, only one short of breaking the all-time most assists in the league, set by Thierry Henry. Ozil had 16 assists to his name by the New Year last season.
However, these stats don’t show the entire picture as the midfielder is now creating more chances and is finding great passes with this sensational vision.
A positive from these stats is also that the Gunners aren’t that reliant on Ozil this year as much as they were in the last. Despite, Mesut not making assists, Arsenal is scoring goals for fun. But the German’s is still very significant for Wenger’s side.
Ozil has made seven appearances in the league this season and Arsenal has been unbeaten in those matches, winning six and drawing once. In the process, the gunners have struck 16 times averaging more than two goals a game which is a quite impressive figure.
The type of contribution Ozil is giving has slightly changed as the German has scored two of the 16 goals Arsenal has scored but the player wasn’t the scorer or the provider in the other 14.
This is a remarkable stat as the 27-year-old was involved in 38 percent of the goals scored by Arsenal in the league last season. These included a staggering 19 assists and six goals.
The playing style of the North London club has changed this season. With Alex Sanchez taking Giroud’s position, Arsenal plays with more speed and faster movement. This alteration has given Ozil the opportunity to play in a slightly different position.
The Arsenal attacking trio Sanchez, Iwobi and Walcott has pace and like to run at opposition defenses. Ozil’s role has changed due to this system. The German doesn’t need to find the killer pass all the time and find Giroud with an over the top delivery.
Instead, Wenger’s team has a bigger threat as eight players have scored two or more times season for the gunners.
Moreover, Walcott, Sanchez, Cazorla and Iwobi all have a minimum of two assists under their belt.
However, Ozil is still involved in everything. The German has a passing accuracy of 90 percent and plays a crucial role in dictating play. His passes have helped to create the build up to the goal rather than the final ball this season.
The gunners have failed to win two of their first seven fixtures in the league and in both of the games Ozil didn’t start due to lack of match fitness. Liverpool beat Arsenal 4-3 on the opening day while the gunners were held by Leicester in the second game week.
Words By: Adil Afzal
