Arsenal: Mesut Ozil Should Have Won PFA Player Of The Year

Arsenal’s entire season has been full of ‘should haves’ and ‘what ifs’ but Mesut Ozil has been at the base of most of them. He should have won PFA player of the year.

Leave it to Arsenal to compile a magnificent combination of world class signings and long-serving Gunners and still wind up in fourth place. It is equal parts embarrassing and frustrating, with maybe a touch of humorous. Just maybe.

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But one player that is most certainly not finding humor in the situation is Mesut Ozil. The German maestro has been the catalyst of Arsenal’s offense, dropping in 18 assists and scoring six goals. For all intents and purposes, he could very well have 30 assists by now, shattering the assist mark set by Thierry Henry (20). However, to Ozil’s chagrin, he has been feeding Giroud, Walcott and Welbeck. Enough said.

However, Ozil did just break the record for most chances created in a single season – 137. That is 30 chances removed from the pack. Ozil should be having the season of the century when it comes to assisting, but he just hasn’t because of Arsenal’s supporting cast.

That is where the disappointments start for Ozil, but they most certainly do not end there. Ozil was also denied a spot on the PFA Team of the Season, losing out to Dele Alli and Dimitri Payet. Our fury should be rampant at this injustice. Ozil has created more then those two combined and he has done it all year.

But wait, it doesn’t stop there!

In the PFA Player of the Year award, Ozil was again denied an award that, according to statistics laid out by Spreadex, should have garnered the award for Ozil. Have a look (you might have to zoom in):

Infographic brought to you by Spreadex, leading provider of sports spread betting in the UK. Click here for the full size image (1600 x 7000 px).

Again, Ozil was denied. Here is how the rankings were produced: “Spreadex’s Player Performance spread betting market is based on the following: 25 points per goal scored, 10 points per assist, 10 points for hitting the woodwork, 5 points per shot on target (which didn’t result in a goal), 5 point per blocked shot inside the six yard area, 3 points per free-kick won, 2 points per shot off target, and 2 points per pass completed in the opposition half.”

It is a fairly balanced system that encapsulates every aspect of the game excluding defensive work. But seeing as how the PFA Player of the Year hasn’t gone to a defensive player since John Terry in 2005, it’s hard to argue with the offensive orientation.

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If nothing else, at least this may be pushing Ozil to improve even more. That is why he came to Arsenal after all.