How quickly we all forget.
Mesut Ozil was omitted from the PFA Team of the Year and, whilst there might’ve been an eyelash or two batted, it didn’t exactly cause a whole pile of hysteria.
Started well, we reasoned.
Didn’t do it in the big games.
Couldn’t care less when it mattered.
It was all only barely shy of a cold Tuesday night at Stoke.
The PFA Barclays Premier League Team of the Year 2016 #PFAawards: pic.twitter.com/Ffp9GTTMN2
— Professional Footballers’ Association (@PFA) April 21, 2016
Instead, just one player from the league runners-up made the Team of the Year.
Four from third-place Spurs were recognised. Mesut Ozil, nowhere to be seen.
No room for the fifth highest ranked player in the league this season.
No room for the top assists.
Most Premier League assists
But, whilst the German international might well have contributed to almost 30 per cent of Arsenal’s league goals this season, he’s been laying chances on a plate for all of them incessantly throughout.
In fact, since Opta were taking stats from 1996, no-one has bettered Mesut Ozil.
When it comes to chances, no-one has set up more than he has this season. Not in the last 20 years anyway. Not in England, or France, or Spain, Germany, or Italy.
Mesut Özil has created more chances in a single season (142) than anyone in top 5 leagues in seasons Opta analysed since 1996.
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) May 15, 2016
35 games, 19 assists, 142 chances created.
What more can we expect of him, really? If the rest of them had kept up their standards and Arsenal went on to win the league (ha!), Ozil would’ve been crowned PFA Player of the Year.
He’ll always have his stats though.
