Since his arrival in England endless people have said that Mesut Özil doesn’t produce in big games and is a flop. Chelsea fans will claim Eden Hazard is better, Manchester City supporters will talk big of David Silva’s or Kevin De Bruyne’s supremacy and Juan Mata is championed by Manchester United supporters as being the better player. The reality though? None of them are as good as the German.
It was a landmark day in the history of Arsenal Football Club in September of 2013 when Özil arrived for a princely £42.4 million, smashing their transfer record in the process. This was a game changing signing for Arsenal. For the first time in years they had shown real intent in the transfer market, and spent the money they claimed they were able to all summer.
Mesut Özil Is The Best Player In The Premier League
The former Werder Bremen star had the ability to transform the London giants from also rans in the Premier League title race to legitimate contenders. With him he carried an air of belief for supporters to latch onto. However, he struggled to adapt to the English game from the get go, and was labelled as a failure by some so early into his tenure in England.
This was perhaps jumping the gun on the German so soon after joining the club. The reality was Özil needed to toughen up and add some muscle to his slender frame if he was going to survive against physical defenders who would be targeting him every single game.
Various knee injuries have kept him out for months at a time and the “Özil is a flop” groans grew steadily louder. In a world where fans and pundits can barely remember what happened last week, patience was wearing thin with a player simply adjusting to a new club, country and lifestyle. He was displaying his ability in flashes, but consistency and big game performances did elude him at times. The player who tallied 60 assists in three years in Madrid was searching to reclaim that magic.
Taking a look at his year by year breakdown, we can see his steady adjustment during his injury woes which has seen him blossom into the form playmaker in the entire Premier League (per WhoScored.com):
- 2013/14 (34 appearances): six goals, 11 assists
- 2014/15 (26 appearances): four goals, six assists
- 2015/16 (24 appearances): six goals, 16 assists (so far)
Özil now needs only five more assists in England’s top flight to break Thierry Henry’s existing record of 20 assists in a single Premier League campaign. It’s no secret that his move from the wing into the centre of a system that is based around his talents as a number ten is coinciding with Arsenal’s run to the top of the Premier League.
Özil has created 79 chances for his team mates in his 18 Premier League appearances. In addition to his 16 assists, he has 63 key passes. His display against Bournemouth may have been his best masterclass yet, where he created nine chances in that game alone. It was pure magic to watch for any football fan.
To put it all into perspective, Özil has twice as many assists domestically as any other player. He averages more key passes (4.4) than any other player, and across Europe’s top five leagues Angel Di Maria is the closest to him in terms of assists. But he’s not exactly close — Di Maria only has nine assists. It is no contest, Özil as a playmaker is in a league of his own right now. He is the conductor that allows the musicians to play.
Özil was even championed by his former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho as the best number ten in world football when he was in charge of Chelsea. That’s no surprise considering the assists he piled up for the Portuguese during his stay in Madrid. Eden Hazard was crowned Player of the Year last season after playing a key role in the Blues title victory, but this season he has been put in the shade.
Hazard’s goal drought is nearing the 40 hour mark and he’s tallied only two assists this season. Last week Ozil equalled the number of assists Hazard has created since joining Chelsea in 2012, but in 59 fewer games. That’s more than a season’s worth of fixtures.
The discussion about whether he is a flop (as farcical as it was) and the claims that he was a fraud are officially over. Mesut Özil has well and truly arrived in England and might be peaking as a footballer. That debate should now move to where he stands not only in his standing as one of the best players in the Premier League, but also as one of the best players in the world.
Özil – Bournemouth (H) pic.twitter.com/8mA5NDKWgH
— E (@AlexisAssist) December 28, 2015
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