Mesut Özil: Time to Move Ön?

[say yes]

Think the Wenger stuff is more than neutral, it’s clear he was right on this stuff but was getting overridden by Gazidis.

I’d thought for a long while he was being used as a lightning rod for criticism in his later years.

Gazidis really is a cünt.

Yep you’re probably right. Didn’t want to weaponise the article but yeah - it’s not a good look for Özil that Wenger didn’t think he was worth the big contract.

And it’s definitely not a good look for Gazidis that the club gave it to him anyway. Honestly, can’t wait to read big Weng’s book about all the idiots backstage. Hope he buries them.

 

[GDeep™]

And if the story is true, then our coaching staff is ****ed. Fancy themselves both doctors and mind readers apparently. Not the first we've heard about this sort of delusion either, so maybe it is true. Just have to hope not.

Obviously not true man.

 

[say yes]

Obviously

Cult-like cognitive dissonance from his followers, it has to be said.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

This keeps on striking me as an odd ****ing criticism.

That paragraph describes half of our first eleven. If he's leaving out Özil for not working hard off the ball or tracking back, the only person he should be starting is Lacazette and at a push Mkhi.

I could understand this if we were a well drilled defensive machine with all of our players grafting and working hard. But we aren't, so its strange to me to make an example out of Özil for something half the squad fails to do.

Emery put Kolasinac on the LW for some games in direct acknowledgement of the latter's shambolic defensive contributions and Kolasinac is supposed to be a defender for crying out loud. Yet Özil the AM gets singled out? If Emery was running an even hand and casting out players for not contributing defensively then I would think a LB who can't defend a lick would be training with the reserves by now.

Its an extremely odd criticism, because Özil DOES track back. At least as much as anyone else on the team. And works harder in attack than anyone else too.

It's like there is some sort of bizzaro world thing going on. The guy literally does everything he's accused of not doing. He tracks back. He makes tackles. He works hard and sprints like crazy off the ball (and you know Emery loves them sprints). People talk about how he can't get by on his talent and needs to the basics for the team... He DOES those basics, and better than almost anyone (ie. yesterday). It's part of the reason I like him so much as a player, he does the right thing pretty much every time. Its remarkable actually how consistent he is in regard to these things.

But when he consistently does these basics to a high standard it just gets overlooked if he's not scoring or assisting. And when he is doing those things he gets accused of hiding behind them.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

Yep you’re probably right. Didn’t want to weaponise the article but yeah - it’s not a good look for Özil that Wenger didn’t think he was worth the big contract.

And it’s definitely not a good look for Gazidis that the club gave it to him anyway. Honestly, can’t wait to read big Weng’s book about all the idiots backstage. Hope he buries them.

Wenger wouldn't' think any player is worth that contract. And he's right.

 

[squallman]

Its an extremely odd criticism, because Özil DOES track back. At least as much as anyone else on the team. And works harder in attack than anyone else too.

It's like there is some sort of bizzaro world thing going on. The guy literally does everything he's accused of not doing. He tracks back. He makes tackles. He works hard and sprints like crazy off the ball (and you know Emery loves them sprints). People talk about how he can't get by on his talent and needs to the basics for the team... He DOES those basics, and better than almost anyone (ie. yesterday). It's part of the reason I like him so much as a player, he does the right thing pretty much every time. Its remarkable actually how consistent he is in regard to these things.

But when he consistently does these basics to a high standard it just gets overlooked if he's not scoring or assisting. And when he is doing those things he gets accused of hiding behind them.

I know he does, I came across an article that showed he had better defensive stats than any other attacking midfielder at the club last season.

https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...ls-attacking-midfielders-on-defensive-duties/

Amazingly, Özil had a higher interception and a higher tackling rate last season than everyone's favourite grafter, Welbeck. Welbeck admittedly made more tackles this season according to the article.

In the name of balance here's the same site comparing Özil this season to last season. Defensive contribution is a short paragraph at the bottom.
https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...r-league-stats-under-unai-emery-to-last-term/

His interception rate has dropped but tackling remains roughly the same.

An article on who runs the most in the Arsenal squad from the 2016/17 season. Özil was second.

https://www.dreamteamfc.com/c/news-...ut-Özil-stat-that-proves-hes-not-at-all-lazy/

For completion sake, Sky Sports has a more complete breakdown of the stats.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...fair-the-stats-on-his-arsenal-role-and-record

Per 90 minutes doesn't look good for Özil but he did run more than Sanchez who was lauded for his "Defensive contribution"

I thought Emery was a stats and analysis guy? The numbers don't lie, Özil does make a defensive contribution.

Also like I said, if running, tracking back and doing defensive work is going to be the be all end all, the likes of Guendouzi and Kolasinac don't deserve to start. One is supposed to be a DM and the other a defensive midfielder. Yet I have to watch the former stand back and let people run past him. Imagine if Özil did that.

EDIT:
The first link isn't working for some reason even though I copied and pasted the entire thing. Whatever. Just google "Özil defensive stats planetfootball" and it should come up.

 

[RacingPhoton]

I know he does, I came across an article that showed he had better defensive stats than any other attacking midfielder at the club last season.

https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...ls-attacking-midfielders-on-defensive-duties/

Amazingly, Özil had a higher interception and a higher tackling rate last season than everyone's favourite grafter, Welbeck. Welbeck admittedly made more tackles this season according to the article.

In the name of balance here's the same site comparing Özil this season to last season. Defensive contribution is a short paragraph at the bottom.
https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...r-league-stats-under-unai-emery-to-last-term/

His interception rate has dropped but tackling remains roughly the same.

An article on who runs the most in the Arsenal squad from the 2016/17 season. Özil was second.

https://www.dreamteamfc.com/c/news-...ut-Özil-stat-that-proves-hes-not-at-all-lazy/

For completion sake, Sky Sports has a more complete breakdown of the stats.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...fair-the-stats-on-his-arsenal-role-and-record

Per 90 minutes doesn't look good for Özil but he did run more than Sanchez who was lauded for his "Defensive contribution"

I thought Emery was a stats and analysis guy? The numbers don't lie, Özil does make a defensive contribution.

Also like I said, if running, tracking back and doing defensive work is going to be the be all end all, the likes of Guendouzi and Kolasinac don't deserve to start. One is supposed to be a DM and the other a defensive midfielder. Yet I have to watch the former stand back and let people run past him. Imagine if Özil did that.

Some links are not working. But I can see what you are saying. Most of the criticism on Özil's lack of defensive support is purely based on perception rather than facts.

When a player loses ball to someone and chases him back all the way down, people think he is working his ass off. But how many times does it pay off? Very rarely. But Özil does the right thing. Even if he is dispossessed, he doesn't take it personally and try to win it back from that player. Instead he tracks back and covers the line instead of the player. That explains the interceptions he made. People hardly notice this. I think this was anyway Wenger's style of play. So he had good chemistry with Wenger. Emery on the other hand, wants to press the individual rather than covering the lines.

On the subject of tackles, he tries to win the ball back cleanly instead of pushing/pulling the opponent or making a rough tackle. Again this is what people are expecting when they think about defending. Given his body strength compared to others, there is no point in him trying to act like a bully. But his own method is effective enough. And it is good for a team to have a player who you don't have to think about being suspended. Again Wenger would admire this clean football. But Emery wants players to get down dirty.

I watched many matches in the stadium this season. I was able to focus on players who are not focused by the camera on TV. You can always see Özil back in the defensive side a little while after we lose the ball. You know who doesn't track back that often? That's Iwobi. And Iwobi gets the nod over Özil because Özil is a defensive liability? The truth is something else.

 

[razörist]

Its an extremely odd criticism, because Özil DOES track back. At least as much as anyone else on the team. And works harder in attack than anyone else too.

It's like there is some sort of bizzaro world thing going on. The guy literally does everything he's accused of not doing. He tracks back. He makes tackles. He works hard and sprints like crazy off the ball (and you know Emery loves them sprints). People talk about how he can't get by on his talent and needs to the basics for the team... He DOES those basics, and better than almost anyone (ie. yesterday). It's part of the reason I like him so much as a player, he does the right thing pretty much every time. Its remarkable actually how consistent he is in regard to these things.

But when he consistently does these basics to a high standard it just gets overlooked if he's not scoring or assisting. And when he is doing those things he gets accused of hiding behind them.

Yeah he does work harder than anyone in attack. You have making runs to go through on goal and score, that’s the only run Auba makes. And you have secondary runs to create space, new situations, the run you make so you can create a goalchance. Mesut is the only player we have that makes that run and since Alexis is gone it doesn’t get rewarded with a good pass anymore.

Against Rennes I had to ask if anyone else saw him create multiple good chances, because people said he was doing nothing and I was afraid I was seeing things. I saw him defend way back almost at his own corner flag and I was like what are you doing there, who’s going to help us exit our defensive zone when we win the ball back if you are there. But what do I know.

 

[kraphtous]

People get way too unreasonable with Özil, gets called for things which other players don't.

I hope he moves on in the summer, and we get a player who actually gets the support of the fans.

 

[say yes]

Its an extremely odd criticism, because Özil DOES track back. At least as much as anyone else on the team. And works harder in attack than anyone else too.

It's like there is some sort of bizzaro world thing going on. The guy literally does everything he's accused of not doing. He tracks back. He makes tackles. He works hard and sprints like crazy off the ball (and you know Emery loves them sprints). People talk about how he can't get by on his talent and needs to the basics for the team... He DOES those basics, and better than almost anyone (ie. yesterday). It's part of the reason I like him so much as a player, he does the right thing pretty much every time. Its remarkable actually how consistent he is in regard to these things.

But when he consistently does these basics to a high standard it just gets overlooked if he's not scoring or assisting. And when he is doing those things he gets accused of hiding behind them.

You can’t be serious?

Özil categorically does not do as much defensive work as anyone else in the team. He doesn’t track back consistently, he’s physically weak and doesn’t gets stuck into challenges, and he’s not much of a presser.

Absolutely mad to claim that he does all that as much as everyone else in the team. Even if we ignore all our defenders / our combative CMs - when you look at the players that Özil is competing to start with (Iwobi, Mkhi, Ramsey, Lacazette) then he clearly has the lowest defensive impact. It’s chalk and cheese.

I can understand the argument that a couple of posters have made (and indeed that I used to make back when Özil was elite offensively) - that we shouldn’t expect Özil to do much defensively, that’s never been his game and he’s so good offensively that it’s worth having a passenger when the opponent has the ball.

However to flip that on its head and say what you’re saying about Mesut is like something out of 1984. Black is white and white is black.

 

[Jae]

I know he does, I came across an article that showed he had better defensive stats than any other attacking midfielder at the club last season.

https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...ls-attacking-midfielders-on-defensive-duties/

Amazingly, Özil had a higher interception and a higher tackling rate last season than everyone's favourite grafter, Welbeck. Welbeck admittedly made more tackles this season according to the article.

In the name of balance here's the same site comparing Özil this season to last season. Defensive contribution is a short paragraph at the bottom.
https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...r-league-stats-under-unai-emery-to-last-term/

His interception rate has dropped but tackling remains roughly the same.

An article on who runs the most in the Arsenal squad from the 2016/17 season. Özil was second.

https://www.dreamteamfc.com/c/news-...ut-Özil-stat-that-proves-hes-not-at-all-lazy/

For completion sake, Sky Sports has a more complete breakdown of the stats.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...fair-the-stats-on-his-arsenal-role-and-record

Per 90 minutes doesn't look good for Özil but he did run more than Sanchez who was lauded for his "Defensive contribution"

I thought Emery was a stats and analysis guy? The numbers don't lie, Özil does make a defensive contribution.

Also like I said, if running, tracking back and doing defensive work is going to be the be all end all, the likes of Guendouzi and Kolasinac don't deserve to start. One is supposed to be a DM and the other a defensive midfielder. Yet I have to watch the former stand back and let people run past him. Imagine if Özil did that.

Think you're looking at it too simplistically. There's more than likely going to be multiple reasons why Emery doesn't fancy particular players. Some things that us as fans aren't even privy to.

 

[buji banton]

So what you are saying is we shouldnt go out and buy runners and ball players like the top 50 clubs in europe do, you are saying we should sell Özil and get in fellani so we can become stoke city. Should be careful what you wish for, if denis suarez is the calibre of player to replace ramsey and Özil we may very well be joining stoke.

I'm saying that's exactly what we should be doing, but we're not doing that. So is there really a reason to hold on to such an expensive player if we rarely use him, and when we do we can't get the best out of him? I don't think so.

 

[say yes]

I know he does, I came across an article that showed he had better defensive stats than any other attacking midfielder at the club last season.

https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...ls-attacking-midfielders-on-defensive-duties/

Amazingly, Özil had a higher interception and a higher tackling rate last season than everyone's favourite grafter, Welbeck. Welbeck admittedly made more tackles this season according to the article.

In the name of balance here's the same site comparing Özil this season to last season. Defensive contribution is a short paragraph at the bottom.
https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...r-league-stats-under-unai-emery-to-last-term/

His interception rate has dropped but tackling remains roughly the same.

An article on who runs the most in the Arsenal squad from the 2016/17 season. Özil was second.

https://www.dreamteamfc.com/c/news-...ut-Özil-stat-that-proves-hes-not-at-all-lazy/

For completion sake, Sky Sports has a more complete breakdown of the stats.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...fair-the-stats-on-his-arsenal-role-and-record

Per 90 minutes doesn't look good for Özil but he did run more than Sanchez who was lauded for his "Defensive contribution"

I thought Emery was a stats and analysis guy? The numbers don't lie, Özil does make a defensive contribution.

Also like I said, if running, tracking back and doing defensive work is going to be the be all end all, the likes of Guendouzi and Kolasinac don't deserve to start. One is supposed to be a DM and the other a defensive midfielder. Yet I have to watch the former stand back and let people run past him. Imagine if Özil did that.

I'm sorry mate but you're either lying, illiterate or the cognitive dissonance has gone so far that you need to see a doctor. None of those links say what you claim they do and it's a pretty worrying indictment of the level of discourse in this thread that two mods have liked your 'analysis'. I can only hope that they didn't bother reading the links and took you at your word.

Lets break it down shall we?

I know he does, I came across an article that showed he had better defensive stats than any other attacking midfielder at the club last season.

https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...ls-attacking-midfielders-on-defensive-duties/

1. Despite what you've claimed, that article doesn't say that Mesut had the best defensive stats of all the attacking midfielders at the club last season. On the contrary, Mkhitaryan is the comfortable winner in both categories (and Ramsey is excluded). See e.g.:

All of their stats, however, pale in comparison to Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s, with the Armenian attempting 3.1 tackles per 90 minutes

2. The only attacking midfielder that Mesut compares favourably to in those stats is Alex Iwobi. Ramsey and Mkhitaryan both rinse Mesut on the stats in that article so how you can say that Özil had "had better defensive stats than any other attacking midfielder at the club last season" is beyond me. I would also note that the article doesn't use any stats on recoveries, clearances or aerial duels. All of which favoured Iwobi over Özil last season.

3. In "the name of balance", did you not think it was important that this article notes how Iwobi has improved and overtaken Özil under Emery this season? So Mesut's now got the worst defensive stats of any of our attacking mids (even not including recoveries, clearances and aerial duels). In fact almost every player has upped their defensive game under Emery, apart from Özil who has mysteriously managed to decline even further accross the board.

4. From your own SkySports article on running stats, it's pretty clear that Özil isn't the second hardest working player in the squad. He ranked second because of the number of minutes he played:

The numbers become less impressive, however, when they are broken down on a per 90 minute basis. Özil, who played 2847 minutes last season, actually ranked ninth for distance run per 90 minutes and 10th for sprints per 90 minutes among the 15 Arsenal players who played a minimum of 1000 minutes.

Would be interesting to see a greater breakdown of those running / sprinting stats to know which 5/6 players Özil finished ahead of. But bear in mind that these are the 15 players who got over 1000 mins in the league for us last season and they include 3 CBs and a GK: link.

 

[squallman]

I'm sorry mate but you're either lying, illiterate or the cognitive dissonance has gone so far that you need to see a doctor. None of those links say what you claim they do and it's a pretty worrying indictment of the level of discourse in this thread that two mods have liked your 'analysis'. I can only hope that they didn't bother reading the links and took you at your word.

Lets break it down shall we?


1. Despite what you've claimed, that article doesn't say that Mesut had the best defensive stats of all the attacking midfielders at the club last season. On the contrary, Mkhitaryan is the comfortable winner in both categories (and Ramsey is excluded). See e.g.:

2. The only attacking midfielder that Mesut compares favourably to in those stats is Alex Iwobi. Ramsey and Mkhitaryan both rinse Mesut on the stats in that article so how you can say that Özil had "had better defensive stats than any other attacking midfielder at the club last season" is beyond me. I would also note that the article doesn't use any stats on recoveries, clearances or aerial duels. All of which favoured Iwobi over Özil last season.

3. In "the name of balance", did you not think it was important that this article notes how Iwobi has improved and overtaken Özil under Emery this season? So Mesut's now got the worst defensive stats of any of our attacking mids (even not including recoveries, clearances and aerial duels). In fact almost every player has upped their defensive game under Emery, apart from Özil who has mysteriously managed to decline even further accross the board.

4. From your own SkySports article on running stats, it's pretty clear that Özil isn't the second hardest working player in the squad. He ranked second because of the number of minutes he played:


Would be interesting to see a greater breakdown of those running / sprinting stats to know which 5/6 players Özil finished ahead of. But bear in mind that these are the 15 players who got over 1000 mins in the league for us last season and they include 3 CBs and a GK: link.

You're oddly aggressive over this entire thing. Did Özil run over your cat?

All of those links say what I say they do, except the Mkhi part which I missed. You are also twisting my words. You're also focusing an awful lot on the attacking midfielder part, which is fair those are the words I used. A better phrase would have been forward player

I never said that Özil was the second hardest working player in the squad so try again. I said he ran the 2nd longest distance and admitted that per 90 minutes the running stats don't look good for Özil. Regardless of how many minutes he played, covering that distance is nothing to sneeze at. It directly refutes the notion that he doesn't do any running.

You say he played the 2nd highest number of minutes. In the top 10 for that season were Sanchez, Monreal, Koscielny, Cech, Xhaka, Bellerin, Mustafi. The GK and CB's are neither here nor there, but what you've done is shown that Özil ran more than our defensive midfielder, RB and Sanchez. Two of those are defensive minded players, Sanchez played far more minutes, Xhaka 200 minutes less and Bellerin about 500 minutes less.


The worst? The second article I linked only compared Özil this season to Özil last season. It didn't mention Iwobi. The first one did have a small part about this season but it was published in August 2018, I deemed that sample size too small to draw any big conclusions. The Premier league website has stats for all of our players but it is important to note that Özil has played fewer games than most of them so while some may have a higher number of tackles, they may also have played 3-5 games more.

I could calculate defensive stats for all of our forward players.

Your 2nd point, do you have any proof of those numbers? I'd honestly be glad to see them. I also don't consider Ramsey an attacking midfielder so comparing him to Özil is a non starter for me.

EDIT:
I feel like both of our posts talked about different things and used stats in different ways. Nothing you actually said disputed the point that Özil DOES do defensive work, which was my original point all along.

 

[say yes]

I could calculate defensive stats for all of our forward players.

No don't worry, let me assist you. Here are Opta's defensive stats for the season on our main 6 attacking players (Auba, Laca, Özil, Mkhi, Iwobi, Ramsey). All have over 1000 mins in the league so nice sample size.

Minutes per attempted tackle:
Ramsey - 28.6
Mkhitaryan - 34.1
Lacazette - 37.1
Iwobi - 42.4
Özil - 44.1
Aubameyang - 56

Tackle % rate:
Mkhitaryan - 73.5%
Lacazette - 60.8%
Ramsey - 56.8%
Iwobi - 52.8%
Aubameyang - 52.6%
Özil - 48.1%

Minutes per interception:
Mkhitaryan - 105.5
Lacazette - 126
Iwobi - 138.9
Ramsey - 151.1
Aubameyang - 303.9
Özil - 397

Minutes per (clearances + blocks + interceptions):
Lacazette - 47.3
Iwobi - 69.5
Mkhitaryan - 72.5
Aubameyang - 92.5
Ramsey - 117.6
Özil - 170.1

Minutes per attempted aerial duel:
Lacazette - 17.7
Aubameyang - 23.1
Mkhitaryan - 31.4
Ramsey - 39.2
Iwobi - 72.8
Özil - 119.1

Minutes per attempted ground duel:
Lacazette - 10.6
Mkhitaryan - 11.5
Ramsey - 12.0
Iwobi - 11.9
Özil - 17.0
Aubameyang - 19.5

Tell me that Özil does as much as anyone defensively again?

 

[squallman]

No don't worry, let me assist you. Here are Opta's defensive stats for the season on our main 6 attacking players (Auba, Laca, Özil, Mkhi, Iwobi, Ramsey). All have over 1000 mins in the league so nice sample size.

Minutes per attempted tackle:
Ramsey - 28.6
Mkhitaryan - 34.1
Lacazette - 37.1
Iwobi - 42.4
Özil - 44.1
Aubameyang - 56

Tackle % rate:
Mkhitaryan - 73.5%
Lacazette - 60.8%
Ramsey - 56.8%
Iwobi - 52.8%
Aubameyang - 52.6%
Özil - 48.1%

Minutes per interception:
Mkhitaryan - 105.5
Lacazette - 126
Iwobi - 138.9
Ramsey - 151.1
Aubameyang - 303.9
Özil - 397

Minutes per (clearances + blocks + interceptions):
Lacazette - 47.3
Iwobi - 69.5
Mkhitaryan - 72.5
Aubameyang - 92.5
Ramsey - 117.6
Özil - 170.1

Minutes per attempted aerial duel:
Lacazette - 17.7
Aubameyang - 23.1
Mkhitaryan - 31.4
Ramsey - 39.2
Iwobi - 72.8
Özil - 119.1

Minutes per attempted ground duel:
Lacazette - 10.6
Mkhitaryan - 11.5
Ramsey - 12.0
Iwobi - 11.9
Özil - 17.0
Aubameyang - 19.5

Tell me that Özil does as much as anyone defensively again?

You're focusing on where he ranks but look at the actual numbers. Özil's minute per tackle rate isn't that far off of Lacazette's or Iwobi's. In fact his tackling per minute is only 2 minutes worse than Iwobi's. His tackle % rate isn't that far off the other players either.

The only real damning stat is aerial duels and the two on interceptions, which are far off everyone else.

Aubameyang's stats aren't much better than Özil. Iwobi's aerial duel rate isn't fantastic.

Again Ramsey isn't an AM in my eyes.

Do you have a link to Opta's stats? I want to see the numbers for last season and the one before that to see if Özil's defensive stats have dropped according to Opta.

EDIT:

But thank you for those stats, you've been oddly aggressive about the entire thing but its been enlightening. My only point was that to say Özil does ZERO defensive work is false. There might be areas he has to work on but he does put in a tackle.

 

[razörist]

Why are we analyzing Özil like he’s a left back?

 

[Jury]

.
Come on, when you’re using Aubas defensive stats to make a case for Özil’s not being inadequate, you’re clutching just a little.

 

[Jury]

The point here for me is, why is Özil bottom—and by some way in a few of those—in ALL the categories? And why would that be ok?

 

[say yes]

You're focusing on where he ranks but look at the actual numbers. Özil's minute per tackle rate isn't that far off of Lacazette's or Iwobi's. In fact his tackling per minute is only 2 minutes worse than Iwobi's. His tackle % rate isn't that far off the other players either.

The only real damning stat is aerial duels and the two on interceptions, which are far off everyone else.

Aubameyang's stats aren't much better than Özil. Iwobi's aerial duel rate isn't fantastic.

Again Ramsey isn't an AM in my eyes.

Do you have a link to Opta's stats? I want to see the numbers for last season and the one before that to see if Özil's defensive stats have dropped according to Opta.

I drew attention to where he ranked because you & @blaze_of_glory claimed that he does as much as anyone defensively, which is patently absurd.

The entire selection (data and ranking) is damning. It's a pretty complete picture of his defensive game and it's clear that he's not carrying his weight defensively. The only question with Mesut should be whether you think he should get a pass defensively because of his ability on the ball.

Aubemayang is the next biggest passenger, you're correct. However worth pointing out that, unless he's playing out wide, he'll spends most of the game on the CB's shoulder so not much scope for him to get stuck into challenges / intercept the ball.

Apologies for the aggression. Just does my head in when people make ludicrous claims about a player supported by half-baked stats. Still a bit traumatised by people trying to claim that Giroud was an elite striker and some of this Özil doublespeak is giving me flashbacks.

Also: Opta stats are behind a paywall, unfortunately (I get access through an organisation). If you have a precise request I can find it for you.