Finding The More Influential 10: How Ozil Has A Superior Record To Silva

This coming Sunday, the Premier League actually is a Super Sunday; rather than Brighton-Southampton, followed by Leicester-Everton trying to heal your weekend hangover as you dust the cobwebs off before Monday – apologies to the aforementioned clubs’ fans, but who are we kidding; this Super Sunday sees Arsenal visit Manchester City, followed by Manchester United’s trip to Stamford Bridge.

Despite Manchester City only having the better of the Gunners once in the pair’s nine previous games in all competitions, many will fancy Pep Guardiola’s side to take the three points as they continue to look like the team to beat in Europe this season.

With the Citizens’ playmaker, David Silva, missing from the starting line-up against Napoli – presumably being rested for the game against Arsenal – City still managed to score three goals before his arrival on the field; the depth of their attacking power is currently unrivaled in England.

However, Silva’s importance to the side is still crucial; already with six league assists this season, the Spaniard is rolling back the years in the No.10 jersey. Opposite the former Valencia man this coming Sunday is likely to see Mesut Ozil pull the strings for the Gunners, a player who constantly splits opinion and is yet to hit this season running.

The German has often been linked with a move away from London this January as a potential reunion with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United could be on the cards; Ozil was missing from the matchday squad with the Gunners’ Europa League tie against Red Star Belgrade, and Arsenal fans will be hoping the German is fresh heading to the Etihad this Sunday.

For a player who continually receives more hate than praise, comparing the No.10’s statistics to Silva’s since 2010 in all club competitions tells a very different story to football fans’ perception of both players:

The general consensus seems that Silva regularly has the upper-hand over his Premier League rival, with the Spaniard often being referred to in the ‘world-class’ category, and Ozil having to respond to critics asking for a search party to find the German during games.

Adding to this, despite Arsenal’s struggles in the league, and the Citizens boasting ‘better’ players than the Gunners since 2010, it would appear Ozil could have had a lot more assists in the Premier League had his strikers been more clinical. Since Ozil’s arrival in the Premier League, he has created  54 ‘big’ chances – ones that haven’t been scored – compared to Silva’s 38 in the same time; it’s a safe conclusion to suggest the German would be involved in even more goals had Aguero been on the other end rather than Danny Welbeck.

Ozil has continued to play scapegoat in this Arsene Wenger side, and perhaps a move to Manchester United in January would see the player get the respect he deserves, rather than the weekly battering and ghost emoji over social media.

 

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