Player Focus: Well Rested Özil Set to Make Substanstial Impact for Arsenal
It was a wry grin that effectively let the cat out of the bag in 2013. In the wake of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over north London rivals Tottenham almost 24 months ago, Arsene Wenger, when quizzed on whether there would be any more arrivals before the transfer window slammed shut, simply replied: "Maybe we’ll have a good surprise for you." Arsenal fans were sent into a frenzy, guessing who the "surprise" signing would be.
A day later, Mesut Özil was an Arsenal player. Real Madrid needed to balance the books following the world-record signing of Gareth Bale, with the German considered an expendable asset, despite the protests of the Madrid faithful. Özil did not come cheap, though - at £42.5m, he became Arsenal’s club-record acquisition and the most expensive German footballer of all time. Having registered 13 assists and created more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities (24) than any other player in his final season in Spain, however, his signing was seen as something of a coup.
While there were doubts over whether the 26-year-old would quickly adjust to the rigours of English football, Özil finished the season with a respectable WhoScored rating of 7.27 having netted 5 times in England’s top tier and provided a further 9 assists. Nevertheless the Germany international still had his doubters. There were some who criticised the creator for his lack of work off the ball and less-than-impressive fitness levels, so while he showed glimpses of his quality in his debut campaign at the Emirates, many suspected there was more to come from him.
A World Cup winning campaign with his national team meant he and teammate Per Mertesacker were granted an extended leave of absence in order to prepare sufficiently for last season. Mertesacker returned to the starting XI without any problems, but Özil initially struggled. Shafted to the left flank in order to accommodate for the abundance of central midfielders at Wenger’s disposal, the German appeared bewildered with the demands that came with starting on the wing. Then, in October, disaster struck as Özil suffered a ruptured knee ligament injury, ruling him out for the best part of three months.
Following the capture of Alexis Sánchez from Barcelona, Arsenal supporters were salivating at the prospect of the Chilean and Özil linking up in the Gunners attack, but were forced to wait until the turn of the year before the pairing could put a consistent run of form together. While they took some time to adjust to one another’s game, once Alexis and Özil struck up an understanding; supporters began to see the best of the latter, as one might expect.
In fact, since the beginning of 2015, only Alexis (7.75) and Francis Coquelin (7.71) gained better WhoScored ratings than Özil (7.68) of all Arsenal players. Özil, over his 22 league appearances, averaged more key passes per game (3.1) than any other Premier League player. His vision and creativity are, without question, his strongest assets, but it wasn’t until Özil was afforded a lengthy rest that Arsenal began to reap the rewards of both of these traits. Prior to his injury, he played significantly fewer key passes per game (2.3) than he did following his return (3.5).
Not only that, but having registered just 1 assist in his opening 540 minutes of action of the season, Özil managed to do so once every 330 minutes upon his return. 4 assists in 16 appearances is a modest return by his lofty standards, but, given the array of offensive talent at Wenger’s disposal, one would expect Özil to build on this in the upcoming campaign.
An ample rest period clearly benefitted the German creator and with a lack of international competition this summer, it’s reasonable to suggest fans will see Özil at his destructive best. Given Wenger appears set on a 4-2-3-1 system with the German, Alexis and one of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a fluid offensive triumvirate behind the frontman, Özil, as the creative fulcrum, can finally perform at his maximum in a system that suits both player and club.
Following his personally underwhelming displays in a tested-and-quickly-dispatched-of 4-1-4-1 formation, the move to a more familiar looking 4-2-3-1 swiftly brought out the best in Özil. Given the success of the system it would be a tad harsh to overlook the impact of Coquelin, who performed above expectations following his return from Charlton. The Frenchman averaged more tackles per game (3.2) than any other Arsenal player last season, while his average of 3.7 interceptions per league match was the best in the Premier League.
Coquelin’s defensive displays lessened the burden on Özil, who was instead granted the chance to really flourish in the final third. It’s no coincidence that his average of 28.9 successful passes in that area of the pitch was the third highest in the Premier League in 2015 with Coquelin mopping up behind him.
As the season quickly approaches, Arsenal fans are understandably excited about the upcoming campaign. While their only addition to the squad has been the vastly reliable Petr Cech, the squad in place is certainly good enough to challenge for top spot. With Özil coming into the season at peak fitness, he will be at the hub of a majority of their offensive moves and, having really begun to live up to the hefty transfer fee following his return to fitness; opposition sides should be fearful of facing the well rested playmaker once the Premier League resumes.
With no international competition this summer, do you think Arsenal fans will see the best of Mesut Özil in the upcoming campaign? Let us know in the comments below
