Player Focus: Record Breaker Özil Holds the Key to Arsenal's Title Hopes

Back in July, we wrote that a well-rested Mesut Özil is set to make a substantial impact for Arsenal this season. After a summer away from football, the onus was on the Germany international to take the Premier League by storm. After two years to settle in England, the 27-year-old had been expected to show his best form in England’s top tier. As the Gunners strive to land Premier League glory for the first time in over 10 years, fans and teammates alike have looked to their creator-in-chief to guide them to glory. 

Indeed, this term he has not disappointed. Özil’s 10 assists is the most in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season, while his WhoScored rating (7.82) is bettered only by Leicester duo Riyad Mahrez (8.17) and Jamie Vardy (7.85) in the top flight of English football this term. Arsene Wenger’s decision to allow him a free role in attack is once again reaping the benefits, even if this does mean his defensive responsibility is lessened. 

However, while this increases the pressure on those behind him to perform, forcing Özil to track back and defend would be a waste of his qualities in and around the final third. The Germany international works best when drifting laterally out to the flanks, exploiting the space left by the opposition midfield, thus maximising his ability to bring out the best in his teammates. A player of his quality excels in the attacking phase of play, highlighted in that he has played more successful final third passes (315) than any other player in the Premier League this season. 

While he initially struggled to stamp his authority in Sunday’s North London Derby, it was he who played the decisive pass for Kieran Gibbs’ equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham. It was one of Özil’s seven key passes in the victory and while many criticised the German’s performance over the 90 minutes, he was still their main creative threat as one might expect, particularly with Alexis Sanchez flattering to deceive once more. 

On a different day, his creative exploits would have been maximised, with Olivier Giroud struggling in front of goal against Spurs. The Frenchman hit the target with just one of his five shots on goal in the North London Derby - a better striker would have capitalised on the chances Özil created on Sunday. In total, he has played more key passes (54) than any other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season, reinforcing his statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘key passes’. 

Furthermore, Özil has created more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season (12), further reinforcing his creative qualities. It came as little shock that the Gunners were linked with a big money move for a new striker over the summer to replace Giroud and Theo Walcott. As Sarah Winterburn noted in her 16 conclusions article from Sunday’s North London Derby over on Football 365, two good strikers does not make one great strike force. 

It’s for this reason why Özil could be restricted this campaign. Of course, 10 assists is a return not to be scoffed at - it is the best in the opening 11 games of any Premier League season - but the number of chances he has created suggests he deserves to play a team with a world class striker leading the attack. 

Nevertheless, in Wenger’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, Özil is the ideal player to play in the number 10 role. He isn’t one who will look to defend from the front due to his lack of work off the ball, but his awareness when in possession certainly makes up for that. His versatility is also an asset that enables him to perform in any position in the attacking third. This is beneficial against teams that can limit his influence, as was noted against Spurs on Sunday. 

Eric Dier in particular worked tirelessly to stifle the Arsenal creator at the Emirates, which he did up until Gibbs’ introduction with a little over 15 minutes to go. Özil then shifted to the right flank and, with Spurs staying compact, he was able to swing the ball to the back post for Gibbs to score. He may not have the speed to out-run the paciest of full-backs, but when teams are looking to shut games down, remaining more central as a result, Özil can excel. 

He has the ability to carve open opposition defences in the blink of an eye and it was this quality that helped the Gunners secure a positive result against Spurs and indeed has helped them to second in the Premier League after 11 games. Without doubt, Özil is clearly a player on top of his game. His aforementioned WhoScored rating is its highest in the last seven league seasons and if Arsenal are indeed to maintain their pursuit of the top-flight crown, it’s their German star who holds the key to unlocking the door between themselves and top spot come May.

How important is Mesut Özil to Arsenal's title hopes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below