Arsenal star struggling to work out where it is all going wrong.
The body language says it all. Unable to look at the bench, Mesut Ozil scratches his head trying to wonder where it is all going wrong.
If ever a picture summed up his current malaise at Arsenal, which has lasted pretty much the entire calendar year to date, the one above taken at the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday night is it.
The German expressed his excitement ahead of the game, posting on his Facebook page that he ‘loves the Champions League’, but his last two tournament games in the competiton, away at Bayern and then at Dortmund have been miserable for him.
Extra keen to impress in his homeland, Ozil’s reputation has taken a hit, and he has a hole to dig himself out of.
A key statistic from the game showed just how ineffective he was. In 62 minutes he made just three successful passes in the final third.
| Team | Key Passes | Pass Accuracy % | Won Tackles | Shots | Successful Final Third Passes | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesut Özil | Arsenal | 1 | 86.96 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 62 |
By contrast the figures below are his overall statistics for the 2013/14 Premier League season, calculated on a per game basis. Ozil averages 29 passes in the final third per game, and was badly off the pace in Germany.
| Team | Key Passes | Pass Accuracy % | Won Tackles | Shots | Successful Final Third Passes / apps | Apps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesut Özil | Arsenal | 2.92 | 87.98 | 0.62 | 1.15 | 29.19 | 26 |
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