“They are using him as a scapegoat for the team after bad results,” agent Dr Erkut Sogut said of his client. He was, of course, referring to Mesut Ozil in the wake of Arsenal’s 5-1 thrashing at hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The Germany international was widely criticised following the defeat to the Bundesliga champions and, what’s more, hasn’t had a chance to silence the doubters since the defeat. Ozil wasn’t included in the 18-man matchday squad for the FA Cup win over Sutton, while their Premier League meeting with Southampton was postponed on account of the south coast side’s participation in the EFL Cup final last weekend.
Having today been sent home from training by the Arsenal doctors due to a bout of illness, Ozil faces a race to be fit in time for Saturday’s trip to Liverpool and, as such, risks missing out on the opportunity to win the Arsenal fans back over. Provided he is fit to feature, it will have been over two weeks by the time the Liverpool match comes around that Ozil last featured for the Gunners and chances are the 28-year-old would have wanted to have put right any possible wrongs sooner than this on the back of an underwhelming showing against Bayern.
However, while the player’s agent may believe that his player is being scapegoated, there is no denying that Ozil’s performances have dipped this term. A WhoScored rating of 7.20 is his lowest in an Arsenal shirt as he struggles to replicate his best form for the Gunners. Indeed, a rating of 7.66 last season was his best return for the north London side as Ozil thrived in his familiar number 10 role. 19 assists was far and away the best in Europe’s top five leagues last season and after a strong showing at Euro 2016, many an Arsenal fan tipped the German for his best campaign to date.
Yet he has flattered to deceive, and that is very much an understatement. While the amount of assists a player provides is largely out of their own control, Ozil has only registered four in 22 league appearances this season. Given only two teams have a better conversion rate than Arsenal in the Premier League this season (13.1%), Ozil cannot simply blame his teammates for wasting the chances he is creating. In fact, it's actually damning that an average of 2.8 key passes per game is his lowest return in a league season since WhoScored started collecting data in the 2009/10 campaign.
While it’s certainly not something to be scoffed at, for a player of Ozil’s calibre, there is very much room for improvement. A telling indicator comes in the number of clear-cut chances created per game. Last season, Ozil was creating 0.8 clear-cut chances per league match, with that figure dropping to 0.2 this term. It's even more bewildering when you consider he should actually be thriving this season with the movment Alexis Sanchez provides in attack compared to the style Olivier Giroud brings to the table as Arsenal's lone striker. What’s more is that dribbles per game (1) are also his lowest in a league season, which perhaps suggests that teams have found a way to negate his impact in the final third this season.
Largely, though, much of the criticism Ozil has faced has been when Arsenal are not in possession. Ozil wasn't signed by Arsene Wenger to help Arsenal carry out their defensive responsibilites, which is noted in that one of his two statistically calculated WhoScored weaknesses is ‘defensive contribution’. It isn’t his duty to hassle opponents in pursuit of the ball as this is a tremendous waste of his obvious attacking talent and fans would forgive the defensive negligence if his offensive output was high. Five goals may mean that he is just two away from his best return in a Premier League campaign, but that is poor for a player in his position.
Had he been readily testing opposition goalkeepers, then fans would perhaps be more forgiving of the low goal total, but an average of 1.5 shots per game, while Ozil’s highest in a league campaign for Arsenal, remains an poor return for a player of his calibre in his position. While Ozil may be unfairly scapegoated following a disappointing showing in the thumping at Bayern, particularly with the defence crumbling after Laurent Koscielny went off injured after the interval, there is no denying that his impact has diminished this term.
With a little over a year to go before his contract expires, Ozil is reaching the peak years of his career, but is currently failing to put opposition defences to the sword. For a player demanding a top wage, he’s certainly struggling to convince supporters that he warrants to be one of the club’s top earners as he drifts through matches without making an impact. Providing he is fit for Saturday's trip to Anfield, he has the ideal opportunity to get the Arsenal supporters back on side with a huge performance in a game with huge implications. Failure to do so, however, may only push him closer to a move away in the summer as fans begin to lose faith in their talented No.11.
