EPL 2017/18: Burnley 0-1 Arsenal - 5 talking points

#5 No Mesut Özil

Mesut Ozil has directly contributed to four PL goals this season

Arsenal fans were left bemused when they saw Mesut Özil had been omitted from the starting line-up through an illness. In his place, Nigerian youngster Alex Iwobi started.

Although the Gunners completed 532 passes over the 90 minutes, it was clear that they missed the German's magic touch in the final third.

No player has created more chances (34) than the 29-year-old this term. His ability to carve open opportunities in tight spaces gives his team-mates confidence and ensures their attacking player is always kept ticking over. In his absence, they managed to create 13 chances but only register two shots on target.

Iwobi himself did not offer much creativity in truth. The 21-year-old only created one chance, lost the ball twice and misplaced four passes. The drop in quality was considerable but in the end, Arsenal managed to snatch all three points and Mesut's absence did not result in them squandering a winnable match on this occasion.