Mesut Ozil PFA Snub Is Exactly The Travesty That Arsenal Need To Suffer Through

Mesut Ozil has been nothing but excellent for Arsenal this season, amassing six goals and 18 assists in the English top flight this season. Yet the German play maker has been left out of the PFA team of the year. 

Sadly, it looks like the Gunners will fail to finish above hated rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the first time since 1995. The loss of St. Totteringham’s Day perfectly encapsulates the dire collapse of this season. However the most distasteful defeat that Arsenal have suffered at the hands of Tottenham this season, comes in the form of Mesut Ozil’s exclusion from the PFA team of the year.

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The Germany international has been nothing short of spectacular this season, and still has a chance to break Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a single season. With four more games to go, Ozil still needs two assists to reach Henry’s plateau and three more assists to eclipse his historic mark. However if we are being honest, Ozil should have shattered The King’s record months ago.

Mesut Ozil was unjustly snubbed from the 2016 PFA Team of the Year, with his assumed position taken by West Ham’s Dimitry Payet or more notably Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli. Leicester City’s N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez have both earned their positions on this year’s heralded XI. I will even disregard the inclusion of Payet(who missed a chunk of the season due to injury) because the Frenchman has been an absolute joy to watch in his first season in England. However the inclusion of Alli seems to be a direct insult to Arsenal and Ozil.

For the sake of argument let’s stack Ozil up against his three competitors in the most creative areas we can judge an attacking midfielder. Per Squawka Ozil has trounced his competition in the following key statistics; chances created Ozil-131, Alli-49, Payet-100, Mahrez-49; key passes Ozil-113, Alli-40, Payet-91, Mahrez-38; pass completion Ozil-85%, Alli-75%, Payet-80%, Mahrez-73%; assists Ozil-18, Alli-9, Payet-9, Mahrez-11; total passes Ozil-2020, Alli-1036, Payet-1126, Mahrez-878.

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In fairness Ozil does round out this quartet with the lowest goal total at six goals on the season. Mahrez comes in first with a whopping 16 followed by Alli with ten and Payet with nine. However when it comes to total goal impact Ozil(24) only sits one goal/assist behind Mahrez(25).

Let that sink in. Ozil was ousted by a 19 year old who is in no way his statistical equal. This is the type of wake up call that Arsenal need. If our best player can’t crack the PFA’s midfield, then what the hell is going on?! This wreaks of disrespect aimed at Arsenal. To be fair, Hector Bellerin was included in the XI at right back, but come on, who could find a full back that deserved it more this season than him?

This was a black eye that Arsenal needed to suffer through. Hopefully it will act as a wake up call for the manager. Ozil created 131 chances but only garnered 18 assists. That paltry return is the crux of the team’s issues. Without clinical finishing and ruthlessness Arsenal have fallen away from the title race, and our best player is not receiving the respect he deserves because of that fact. Arsene Wenger needs to add firepower to this squad so that Ozil’s chances don’t go wasted anymore.

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The German still has a chance to take home PFA Player of the Year, but could the best player really not be included in the best XI? I don’t think so. It’s a damn shame to see Mesut Ozil so unjustly overlooked for his amazing season, but perhaps this is the smack in the face that will wake management up. We can’t waste players like Ozil and Sanchez any longer.