#5 The curious case of Mesut Ozil
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Mesut Ozil had recorded 16 assists by the end of December last season. We are nearing the end of October and the Arsenal magician is yet to record a single assist in the league this season. While this may be attributed to the shift in focus of Arsenal’s goalscoring threat and the relative lack of dependency on Ozil for goals but the deeper problem remains – Why isn’t Mesut Ozil assisting as frequently as he should.
6 goals and an assist in 10 games is a high benchmark for any attacking midfielder and while Ozil can be credited for this, is this the inherent fault in Arsene Wenger’s new found system? Are Ozil and Alexis Sanchez not meant to function in tandem? Can only one of the two function at their best?
While Alexis excelled in his first season at the Emirates when Ozil was relatively subdued and the German excelled last season when the Chilean was subdued, there hasn’t been a scenario when the duo have functioned in tandem and wrecked havoc at opposition – apart from the 3-0 demolition of Manchester United last season and the 3-0 annihilation of Chelsea this season.
Does this highlight a bigger problem, which is swept under the rug due to the good performance of the team, or does it overshadow the havoc Arsenal – as a team – can cause to cultured defences when the two work in tandem? By the looks of it, a solution is nowhere near and one Arsene Wenger is best left to wonder about.
