Arsenal star Mesut Ozil produced a superb man-of-the-match display against the Faroe Islands.
Perfectionist Mesut Ozil was not celebrating beating the Faroe Islands, looking embarrassed as he converted a late penalty in the 3-0 win, but he was superb in the World Cup qualifier.
Arsenal’s new £42.4 million signing put in a man-of-the-match performance, following up a match against Austria where his pass completion percentage reached an incredible 99 per cent.
Against the Faroes, ranked a lowly 175th in the world against Germany’s number 2, Ozil’s display was predictably dominant, and we have taken a look at the statistics to break down just how impressive he was – even if he didn’t feel like shouting about it.
– Ozil touched the ball 151 times in the match, more than any other player on the pitch, narrowly less than the Faroes front-six players combined (167).
– Ozil made 116 passes, second only to teammate Toni Kroos (118) and slightly less than the Faroes front six (130).
– Ozil made six key passes leading to goalscoring opportunities, more than any other player of the pitch, although his teammates could not translate these into assists.
– Ozil put nine crosses into the box from wide areas, more than any other player on the pitch.
– The playmaker’s pass completion ratio of 90 per cent was less than his 99 per cent against Austria, but saw him make almost 40 more passes, leading to a higher margin for error.
– Ozil had four shots on goal, more than any other midfielder with the exception of Julian Draxler (six), and two of his efforts were on target.
– His four successful dribbling attempts were also the second highest number on the pitch, second again to Draxler’s six.
– Ozil made three successful tackles, more than any other player on the pitch apart from Toni Kroos (four).
– Ozil attempted nine long balls, with eight of them finding a teammate.
Is the attacking midfielder likely to continue dominating at Arsenal? What do you think?
image: © jansolo09
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