Yes, How Can I Assist You? – Is Mesut Ozil The Best Playmaker In England?
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal have made the worst possible start to their league campaign as they have now lost two of their last three league games, picking up just three points so far this season. They have managed to hold on to Alexis Sanchez, who featured in the game against Liverpool but Arsenal need their star players to step up now, if they are to challenge for the title.
The likes of Granit Xhaka, Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny will have huge roles to play but one player that needs to be at his best is German play maker Mesut Ozil. Though, not in great form at the moment, the former Real Madrid man, is easily one of the most important players for the Gunners in their current squad.
His lack of form has seen him lose some of his following in the Premier League but on his day, he is as good a player as anybody. It is still early in the season and Ozil has enough time to find some lost form but is he still the best playmaker in England?
Having joined the Gunners back in 2014, Ozil picked up just 4 goals and 5 assists in his first season at the club. However, in the 2015-16 season, he was just unplayable, notching up a whopping 19 assists to his name in the league, to add to his 6 goals.
This remains his best year so far in England but the loss of form of players around him last season saw his numbers reduce drastically. The German managed just 8 goals and 9 assists last season and though those numbers are decent, they are not that of a player who is the best in the league.
In comparison, Liverpool Philippe Coutinho picked up 13 goals and 7 assists while Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen, who also plays in a similar position picked up 8 goals and 15 assists last season.
With excellent vision, great dribbling abilities and a smart head on his shoulder, Ozil, who is now 28, still remains one of the best in the business. On an average, he’s made more than 3.2 key passes per game in his entire PL career and is successful with more than 60% of his attempted dribbles.
He is often criticised for a lack of performances in big games but he is the kind of a player who can make things happen out of nothing and is a player who can walk into every top squad in Europe. He may not have been consistent recently but with all the numbers he has already notched up, there are very few players who even come close to his achievements in a play maker’s role.
He may not be the best in the world but Mesut Ozil is surely still the best play maker in England at the moment.
Stat Credit: Whoscored.com