Arsenal’s increasingly beleaguered midfielder Mesut Ozil was a peripheral figure again last night, and his current shortcomings were magnified by an excellent all-round performance from his Borussia Dortmund counterpart Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Ozil and Mkhitaryan are very similar players that like to be given free roam to run at defences and lay on chances for team-mates, but you wouldn’t have guessed it from last night’s Champions League clash.
These heatmaps show that Mkhitaryan was a constant menace against the Gunners, picking the ball up in all areas of the pitch, whilst Ozil once again found himself unable to make any real impact on a match.
Ozil sympathizers will often defend the German by saying he is being played out of position by Arsene Wenger, and that he will thrive if played in a central position.
However, as Mkhitaryan’s all-encompassing performance show, a top-level Champions League midfielder shouldn’t be restricted to playing well in one position – the Armenian was constantly interchanging with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and was a threat to the Arsenal defence from whatever position he found himself in.
Mkhitaryan’s superior performance is also highlighted by the fact that he created three goal-scoring opportunities, put in four crosses and had three attempts on goal himself, whilst Ozil only managed to create a single chance.
In contrast, Alexis Sanchez’s heatmap shows a much more varied and involved contribution, suggesting both players had licence to roam into positions to effect the game.
MORE : Mesut Ozil slammed by German newspaper after Arsenal defeat, Gunners fans no more forgiving
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