Arsenal need to bring back Mesut Ozil against Stoke City

Mesut Ozil: Back against Stoke City?

Mesut Ozil’s form has been closely scrutinized of late which resulted in him being left out for the 4-1 victory over Sunderland at the weekend.

Ozil’s missed penalty and his two errors versus Liverpool have contributed to a feeling that he is not playing as well as he should be, but with a potentially difficult trip to Stoke on Saturday should the German be recalled?

Whilst a lot has been made of the negative side of Ozil’s game lately, little has been mentioned of his obvious creative prowess. Only David Silva has created more chances per game than Ozil, who creates an average of three goalscoring opportunities per game for his team-mates.

Ozil has created 63 chances in 21 games this season

Ozil has created 63 chances this season, 20 more than Arsenal’s next best creator Santi Cazorla. Although the club had little trouble creating chances versus Sunderland last time out, there is still a lot to be said for the ability of Ozil to create chances and split open opposition defences. Stoke away will be a much more stubborn prospect as we saw with them conceding just once at Manchester City at the weekend.

At home Stoke have beaten Chelsea and held Manchester City at home already this season so despite being 15th in the league, they might not be a pushover. Ozil’s recent form hasn’t been as good as we’d expect though with him not scoring a Premier League goal since early December. Tomas Rosicky the player who replaced him in the no.10 role versus Sunderland did have a good game but he could be moved back into a deeper role next to Mikel Arteta.

Ozil is Arsenal’s third highest Performance Scorer this season

Despite the form of Rosicky last time out it’s worth noting that beside Aaron Ramsey, who has been missing from action since Boxing Day, Mesut Ozil is Arsenal’s top passer with an average of 66 passes per game. Ozil is a very important player for this Arsenal side, even if his form has been dipping lately and that needs to be taken into consideration if he is deemed fit enough to start.

Ozil’s form has not been good of late but he still does have a lot to offer. His creative abilities mean that he could well be an asset in a potentially tight game versus Stoke. Further to this, leaving Ozil out for any longer would potentially result in more damaging murmurs about his form.

Recalling the German playmaker could be a much needed boost of confidence and also allow him to bounce back from his recent slump. Ozil remains a hugely influential player in an attacking regard and few can deny what a influential presence he can be when he is on the ball.