1. Creating chances

Arsenal’s entire game is built on creating chances, where they continue to create chance after chance in the expectation that at least one of them will end up in a goal due to the lack of a clinical finisher in the side. Draxler certainly is capable of doing that, having created 14 chances (4 assists) in 14 league appearances so far this season while he created 45 chances (3 assists) in 30 league appearances last season.

A closer look at the chances he has created reveals that last season 17.8% of the chances were created inside the penalty box while it is 14.3% this season, which indicates his inclination towards making things happen inside the penalty box. Draxler is also capable of creating chances from wider areas, as suggested by similar percentages, either from the left or the right. This will allow him to form an interchanging attacking trio with Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil, which might be a nightmare for opposition defenders.

2. Scoring goals

Creating chances isn’t the only thing Draxler is good at- he has the habit of getting on the score sheet quite often. Even though he has scored only one goal so far in the league, he put the ball in the back of the net 10 times last season. He is able to score spectacular long range goals, as well as finish chances from inside the box. What makes him such a dangerous proposition is his incredible shot accuracy- 78% from 50 shots last season. While he has not been quite as accurate this season, he has had 8 shots on target.

Draxler has the ability to skip around his man and have a shot on goal, which will be particularly effective in Arsenal’s system. Giroud is particularly good with his back to goal, where he either lays the ball off for players around him or flicks the ball on for midfield runners to race on to. Combining that with Draxler’s shooting ability will add a different dimension to Arsenal’s attacking play, as defenses will not be sure whether to cover for the shot or go with the midfield runners.

3. Ability to take players on

Draxler possesses great ball control and an outstanding dribbling ability, which he regularly uses to take on defenders and full backs to devastating effect. He has a stunning take-on success rate of 77% from 93 attempted take-ons this season, while it was an impressive 62% from 127 attempted take-ons last season. His fantastic technical ability makes him a handful for his opponents, and he can dribble past the best of tacklers.

Arsenal currently lack this penetration, with their attacking players preferring to play around opponents rather than take them on. This makes them predictable, and opponents can try an counteract their passing play by pressing high up the pitch, and squeezing the playing area. With Draxler, Arsenal will have a player willing to take on defenders and go past them, something that Lukas Podolski does not provide.

Stats Courtesy: Sqawka