Proof that Arsenal play better with Mesut Ozil on the pitch!

Stat Attack – One result changes nothing, stats show Arsenal do need Mesut Ozil by Russell Cane

Arsenal win more, lose less, score more, concede less and pick up more points when Mesut Ozil plays, stats from Oulala.com reveal.

However that doesn’t back up former Arsenal defender, Martin Keown’s claim that Arsenal don’t need Mesut Ozil. Well Martin, we have the stats that prove the Gunners do need Ozil. Our data clearly shows that Arsenal are far better in every department when he plays.

Oulala.com went back to the 2013/14 season to analyse how Arsenal have fared with and without Ozil in the Premier League since he arrived in England and the results are conclusive, the Gunners are much better when he plays. In the 120 league games that Ozil has featured, Arsenal have won 72 (60%). While in the 37 he has missed, they have won 19 with their win rate dropping by nine per cent (51%).

Arsenal also lose less games when Ozil plays. Twenty-two defeats (18%) from his 120 league appearances compared to 10 defeats (27%) in the 37 matches he has missed.

At both ends of the pitch, Arsenal improve with the 28-year-old in the side. They score more goals with him (1.87 per game) than without him (1.74). They also concede fewer, an average of 0.95 per game when he plays to 1.38 when he doesn’t.

Overall, the Gunners register more points per game (2.02) when Ozil features, to 1.76 when he doesn’t.

Do we really still believe that Arsenal are better without Mesut Ozil?

Russell Cane

17 Comments

  1. Ozil isn’t perfect, but he’s quality, and Arsenal benefit greatly from having him. Doesn’t mean he should play every single game regardless, but used properly he’s a fantastic asset to the team.

    I want to see him feeding Lacazette. That sounds like a potential goal-machine to me. Finally a top-quality supplier and a top-quality finisher.

    1. Lacazette 25 PL goals
      Sanchez 20
      Giroud 17
      Walcott 15
      Rest of the team 15
      =92 PL goals= The Title.
      Easy as.

    2. I have said we create more with him playing than not. Maybe he needs to work on his defensive abilities but Ozil is not as bad as pundits make him. I want us to remember his as given us more than not! Not playing him always might be good so that we are not predictable to other teams.

      1. Ozil will never be good at defending, the teams needs to work harder and cover his defensive inadequacies.
        When he was at Madrid, he wasn’t doing much defensively. Germany work has as a team too that’s why Ozil excels for his country.

  2. Arsenal4life, hey dude, were you saying Walcott is gonna bang 15 in this season? I sure admire your ‘positivity’!

  3. If you watch Ozil, and Arsenal, you can tell he’s needed against weaker teams that sit deep, but against the big boys, we struggle, and he struggles. For me this is a completely pointless article, because it’s focusing more on the weaker opponents. This article would have been relevant if it was focusing on Ozil’s record only against the top six in England, and quality opponents in Europe.

    1. ThirdManJW you make a good point i agree

      hope Ozil pull’s his finger out when it comes to defensive work, its not rocket science Ozil just hustle the opposition when they have the ball that’s all you need to do no one is expecting to make miracles just help out

      1. but i also think another manager younger more dynamic could inspire the whole team to do better, i truly believe we have a really good talent in our team and we are not getting the best out of them, i rate AW of being a good manager outside the game where his the father figure to a bunch of almost young kids with fame and wealth is commendable but on the field his like their mother

  4. One game and everyone’s like.. who needs Ozil or Sanchez.. These 2 saved Our assess from past 2 seasons.. (Sanchez last season and Ozil a year before that) Where We wouldve been without these 2??????????? And not only that.. every player is Important for Us!

  5. In A team where everyone else is worse then Ozil it is easy to come up with that type of stats. reasoning is that Ozil is all we had during that period, period so who are we really comparing him to. All the other players that could play in that position were crap and Ozil himself was not that good either. There is even now, no one that can challenge him for that position. So this is one of the reasons why our transfer dealings were shambles .

  6. I believe to get the best out off Ozil he needs a beast off a DMF behind him . That’s why I want to Kolasinac played there . With the right Defensive Midfielder we wouldn’t notice Ozil Defensive weaknesses as much and he could concentrate on what he does best. With Xhaka and Ramsey playing as pivots behind him he looks average

  7. There’s lies, bloody lies and statistics. This article is almost like saying that, because there are more drownings in summer (people actually swim more in summer than they do in winter), the reason for drownings is summer. As has been said, Özil completely disappears against strong, hard running teams like Stoke. He would not have made a difference against Liverpool either.

  8. You don’t need to be a genius to see what Ozil brings to the table. Keown is just another ex-player turned pundit who talks out of his arse. I understand that they get paid for creating controversy, but to say that we are a better team without Ozil (and/or Sanchez) is utter stupidity.

  9. There was also a stat analysis that showed we conced more and create less with 3 at the back. Money ball isn’t everything.

    I was very happy when we singed Ozil and when we followed up with Sanchez I thought a new era had arrived.

    I still appreciate Ozil and will miss him next year, never the less I can not deny that he seems to go through phases. And when he is in a bad patch we should not be afraid to sub him but in all honesty the same goes for all players.

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