Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil vs Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho: Which player comes out on top?

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How do Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil and Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho compare?

As Liverpool travel to Emirates Stadium on Monday to take on Arsenal, Premier League observers are in for a treat as popular playmakers Philippe Coutinho and Mesut Ozil stand on opposite sides.

German World Cup winner Ozil joined the Gunners for a club record fee from Real Madrid in the summer of 2013, a deal which had the entire footballing community in Europe standing up and taking notice.

Coutinho’s move to Liverpool from Inter Milan was a lot more low-key, yet his impact in England has arguably been just as great as he stands out at Anfield like a sore thumb in terms of technical brilliance.

As the duo prepare themselves for what should be a classic encounter in North London, we take a look at which playmaker has performed better since the turn of the year.

According to the table provided by Opta Stats, Coutinho and Ozil have both excelled in different attacking categories throughout 2015 with very little to choose between them.

Liverpool’s Brazil international could be perceived as more of a goal threat as he averages more goals, shots, successful take-ons and ball recoveries per Premier League encounter.

However, you could argue that Ozil is more creative as the Gunners ace betters his upcoming opponent in key categories such as assists, key passes, touches and accurate passes.

Both players, while adopting similar roles for their respective teams, have a seemingly different approach and qualities to their game, and equally both have been standout performers in 2015.

The aforementioned statistics will probably count for little come 7.45pm on Monday, but if there is one guarantee, it’s that both players will do all that they can to secure a positive result for their team.