After a superb winning run, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were halted by Middlesbrough a couple of weeks ago in the Premier League. That seems to have disrupted the flow in the side as they lost a chance to go to the top of the table, picking up just a point from the weekend’s game against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates. Though the manager spent on a striker in the summer, he has decided to use Alexis Sanchez as a false-9 and that has produced some impressive results so far this season. Wenger’s side are still unbeaten since the opening day loss to Liverpool and are one of the many contenders for the title this season. Though there are a few reasons for their strong start this campaign, one reason that will be right up there is the form of German international Mesut Ozil, who is rated at €48.8 Million.
Different statistics all over the web show that the 28 year old is in his prime as a footballer and he is having the best season of his career so far at Arsenal. Having moved to the club back in 2013, the German midfielder has had bursts of excellence during the campaigns but has never been able to shoulder the responsibilities of the side in the domestic league or in Europe. However, this season, he has entered his 4th year at the Emirates and most of his team’s attacking play flows through him and his Chilean teammate is making him a more important figure at the club. And it looks like that has bought out the best in him making him one of the most effective players in the league this season.
GRAPHIC: Mesut Özil https://t.co/o3NxwOgPps pic.twitter.com/VlggS13I0I
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 6, 2016
He averages 2.4 key passes per game this season opposed to his career best of 3.8 in the previous season. His dribbles per game, tackles per game and passes per game are also considerably lower than in the previous season. But here is the kicker: He has 7 goals (1 less than he scored in the entirety of last season, his highest) and 3 assists in just 13 appearances in all competitions this season. This season, he has almost double the number of shots per game from his first season, a stat that has shown cosmic improvement from his career average.
These stats show that the German, who is predominantly a play maker is starting to add goals to his game and his consistency in front of goal is what makes him an effective player. With 19 assists last season, Ozil had a campaign to remember but if the current form is anything to go by, he and Alexis Sanchez are sure to register their best years, atleast in terms of stats in their careers. The credit should go to Wenger who stuck to a system and got his star players to buy into it. He is now reaping some rewards and will hope that their experience and quality can bring the title home after almost a decade.