Showstoppers Sanchez and Ozil Set to Scrap for Supremacy

Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil have had time to adjust to life in the Premier League and are entering their third and fourth seasons respectively. Arsenal could soon reap the benefits of having both of their big guns firing at the same time. Arsene Wenger is plugging away in the transfer window in an attempt to bolster his forces in the final third ahead of the new season, but a big name acquisition may not be required if Arsenal’s talented attackers can reach their peak together. The Chilean and the German are two players with significantly different styles, but, at times they have shown how dangerous they can be when clicking with one another (see below). Looking at a detailed analysis of both players’ performance data while on show with the London club, signs suggest that the two men are set for their best ever seasons at the Emirates, and could be about to form a devastating partnership. But which one will steal the show?     Mesut Ozil Wenger broke the club transfer record by prising Ozil from Real Madrid, and the deal also marked the first world-renowned superstar signing of the Emirates era. The German had already made a name for himself in Spain by scoring 25 goals and assisting 60 in 147 starts for the Spanish giants. He had also been a big performer at Euro 2012 for Germany, where he earned two Man of the Match awards and was named in the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament. The 27-year-old’s role has always been that of a playmaker, and he has consistently been the chief creator for club and country. His goal threat hasn’t been too decisive at club level as yet, but on the international stage, he has fared slightly better, with 19 goals in 65 appearances. After taking some time to adjust to life in England’s top flight, Ozil began putting in performances worthy of his £42.5million price-tag last season. In his first term, he managed ten assists in the league, followed by 6 in his second campaign. To prove the doubters wrong the World Cup winner then went on to assist a whopping 19 goals in the 2015/16 season. This could have been a lot more if Olivier Giroud’s form hadn’t dropped off in the latter stages. Ozil’s involvement in Arsenal’s attacks last season was pivotal, and there is no doubt that he is the primary dynamic force in the team. According to statistics gathered by Fantasy Football Scout, Ozil produced an average of 4.1 chances per game, with 21.9 minutes per opportunity created. He bettered all of his teammates in touches in the final third, with 45.7 per game, and his successful passes in opposition territory averaged at 27.9. via GIPHY None of Ozil’s teammates came close to those outstanding outputs, and it was perhaps down to Arsenal missing their secondary creative influence in Santi Cazorla that the Gunners didn’t dominate to even greater levels. The number 11’s finishing needs to improve if he is to become a key cog in a title challenge, though. So far, Ozil has scored 15 goals in 83 appearances for Arsenal, and perhaps his meagre output of 6 goals last season is what dented his hopes of winning the PFA Player of the Year award. He managed an average of 1.3 shots per game, but still emerged as Arsenal’s third leading goal scorer. This is perhaps a telling statistic, proving that Wenger needs further reinforcements, or needs players like Ozil to improve their finishing drastically.   Alexis Sanchez The £31.7milllion that Arsenal paid Barcelona for Sanchez in 2014 now looks like a paltry sum for a player that became an instant success at the Emirates. Fans knew they were getting something special after the Chilean had managed to score 39 goals in 88 appearances for a team that also included the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar. via GIPHY In his first season at Arsenal, Sanchez scored 16 goals and made eight assists, and followed that up with 13 goals and five assists last term. It should be noted that he missed a fair few games through injury and only played 2436 minutes of football compared to the 2944 he played in 2014/15. Therefore, considering the amount of time he has spent on the pitch he has been a consistent threat for the Gunners so far. There is a sense, though, that there are bigger performances to come from the 27-year-old. During the last campaign, there was the concern that Sanchez had been overplayed by Wenger and was suffering from fatigue. Fears were confirmed when the Chilean suffered a hamstring injury which caused him to miss a considerable and crucial chunk of the season. After the player picked up another injury to his ankle in the Copa America, Wenger will have to be more cautious than ever with the man that is so crucial to Arsenal’s title hopes. Delving into the statistics from Fantasy Football Scout once more, it is clear that Sanchez is the dominant threat in the Arsenal side. The former Barcelona man had 7.4 penalty box touches per match, which was more than any other player. He also came out on top for goal attempts (3.6), shots in the box (2.4), and minutes per chance at an average of 23.7. The recent Copa America winner did however, suffer a dip in shot accuracy from the previous season, going from 40.5% to 33.6%. One explanation for this could have been due to the fact that the injury had heeded his progress in gaining momentum. Time to combine These two showstoppers have shown plenty of promise in regards to how lethal their combination will be but, as yet, it seems fair to say that the world hasn’t seen them both playing at their best at the same time. Both players could be about to enter their greatest ever seasons for the club, and if they manage to peak simultaneously, it could be a nightmare for opposition defences. But which player will reign supreme? That intriguing question will only be answered when the new season gets into full swing, and the public gets to see these awesome stars in action. [su_button url="https://www.ticketgum.com/arsenal-tickets" background="#F00107" size="20" wide="yes" radius="0"]Get Arsenal Tickets[/su_button]