Is Odegaard the new Ozil at Arsenal? We’ve compared the new playmaker with two iterations of the old…
“When everyone was a little trembling he gave us that stability and that composure on the ball and he created chance after chance.”
A statement that could easily have been made about a Mesut Ozil performance after any number of Arsenal games circa 2016 was in fact Mikel Arteta’s latest glowing praise of Martin Odegaard, the Real Madrid loanee tipped by many to fill Ozil’s boots, which were virtually empty long before the playmaker left the club in January.
Arteta has hailed Odegaard’s leadership and influence, Ian Wright loves his “efficiency” and Mohamed Elneny claims the Arsenal players are all hoping he’ll stay at the club beyond this season.
But how does the Norwegian compare with the two north London iterations of Ozil?
We’ve split the German’s Arsenal career: the good and the bad; the gives a sh*t and the sh*t; before the ridiculous contract and after the ridiculous contract. The 2015-16 and 2019-20 seasons have been selected as the poles of Ozil’s Premier League existence.
Thanks to FBref and WhoScored for the numbers, which are per 90 minutes unless otherwise stated. Apologies for the few unavailable stats.
Goals
2015-16 Ozil – 0.17
2019-20 Ozil – 0.05
Odegaard – 0.13
Assists
2015-16 Ozil – 0.54
2019-20 Ozil – 0.11
Odegaard – 0
Points per match
2015-16 Ozil – 1.89
2019-20 Ozil – 1.33
Odegaard – 1.50
Shots on target
2015-16 Ozil – 0.59
2019-20 Ozil – 0.19
Odegaard – 0.57
Key passes
2015-16 Ozil – 4.3
2019-20 Ozil – 2.3
Odegaard – 2.1
Given that Ozil was the overall Premier League key pass leader in the 2015-16 season, it’s not surprising that Odegaard’s effort this season pale in comparison. The Norwegian is currently in the top 25 creators in the division, just above Riyad Mahrez.
Shot-creating actions
2015-16 Ozil – n/a
2019-20 Ozil – 3.94
Odegaard – 4.75
Goal-creating actions
2015-16 Ozil – n/a
2019-20 Ozil – 0.44
Odegaard – 0.38
The early stats are frustratingly unavailable for shot-creating and goal-creating actions, but Odegaard is doing more to create chances for his teammates – through dribbles and passes – than latter-day Ozil.
Successful pass percentage
2015-16 Ozil – 86.3%
2019-20 Ozil – 88.3%
Odegaard – 91.3%
Successful Dribbles
2015-16 Ozil – 1.4
2019-20 Ozil – 1.0
Odegaard – 2.1
Martin Odegaard with the best playmaking performance I’ve witnessed by an Arsenal player since Mesut Ozil against Leicester City in 2018.
— LTArsenal
(@ltarsenal) March 21, 2021
Dispossessed
2015-16 Ozil – 1.8
2019-20 Ozil – 1.4
Odegaard – 1.1
Unsuccessful touches
2015-16 Ozil – 2.1
2019-20 Ozil – 1.6
Odegaard – 1.5
Odegaard may not be as prolific an assist-maker as prime Ozil, but he’s far better in possession, completing more dribbles and losing the ball less frequently.
Tackles
2015-16 Ozil – 1.00
2019-20 Ozil – 0.81
Odegaard – 0.80
Dribbed past
2015-16 Ozil – 1.2
2019-20 Ozil – 1.2
Odegaard – 1.1
Interceptions
2015-16 Ozil – 0.60
2019-20 Ozil – 0.19
Odegaard – 0.94
Pressures
2015-16 Ozil – n/a
2019-20 Ozil – 19.1
Odegaard – 20.6
Pressure success percentage
2015-16 Ozil – n/a
2019-20 Ozil – 20.7%
Odegaard – 29.4%
Bit of a surprise that Ozil is the superior tackler, but Odegaard’s ability to press – highlighted as a key trait by Arteta – means Arsenal win the ball back more regularly.
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