Arsenal: Waning Mesut Ozil Still Trumps Eden Hazard

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 10: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium on December 10, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 10: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium on December 10, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal has struggled to match a poor stretch by Mesut Ozil, but even with the German’s ghosting, he is still not the most convincing ghost in England.

I imagine most Arsenal supporters are slowly having their spirits lifted back up. It’s the holiday season, damnit, we can’t stay down forever. Plus, it was Alexis Sanchez’s birthday and given it’s proximity to Christmas, I got a bit excited (that’s a poor joke).

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Aside from that, I have finally stepped down off of my pedestal that I was using to throw tomatoes at Mesut Ozil. The German maestro was the target of my ire for all of the past couple days and I must say, it’s time to call that to a close (unlike Theo Walcott).

The way I overcame this was by remembering that old saying about ‘count your blessings’. Ozil may struggle in these instances where he has to play match after match, but at the very least, he isn’t Eden Hazard, and that is something we can always rejoice in.

I accused Ozil of a disappearance act that would liken him to a ghost, but when you get down to it, the champion of the ghosting world is still the Belgian spectre, who has a knack for not just disappearing for a game or two, but for months, even season.

Think of last year. 2700 minutes and he managed four goals and four assists. Ladies and gentlemen, at least Mesut Ozil does not do that. Not only does he not do that, but he is not capable of doing that. Not in the least.

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Look at this year even, in the “resurgent” year of Eden “The Ghost” Hazard, he has accumulated eight goals and an assist in 1300 minutes of play. Welcome back Eden!

Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil, who has just faced the ire of millions of Gooner’s, has accumulated nine goals and five assists in around 1800 minutes of play.

You know what’s coming – math!

That means that the Belgian contributes to a goal every 144 minutes while Ozil, on the other hand, contributes to a goal every 128 minutes.

What I’m saying is, or what math is saying is, even when Ozil is being criticized for lacking a spine and lacking a good work ethic, he is still better than the ghost master general over at Chelsea.

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That’s not exactly worth nine points, but hey, we have to take what we can get. Go Mesut!