Mesut Ozil Must Seize His Role as Arsenal's Assist King

Mesut Ozil's sluggish form is becoming something of a concern for Arsenal. At least it should be.

He was signed to be Arsenal's assist king, but the Gunners' record transfer is resembling a passenger in too many games.

His most recent flirtation with anonymity came during the 2-2 home draw with Manchester City. The German's sketchy performance prompted yet another verbal defence from manager Arsene Wenger, who told reporters:

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You see a good Ozil when you watch the game again. Then you realise his timing, his quality of the pass and something you can be frustrated during the game but you must not overreact.

When you watch the game in a cool manner, you see what a good player he is. I have so many offensive players. I give him freedom to play outside and inside and he likes that.

It is not easy but Ozil is a team player and he takes it very well.

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Wenger's pleas for understanding regarding Ozil's performances are becoming too familiar. The Gunners chief is starting to sound like a man trying to convince himself that the £42.5 million he spent on Ozil last summer wasn't a waste.

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Of course, any debate about Ozil can be tricky. He's always been a boom-or-bust player. He may be a prolific source of through balls, but one such pass can be the sum total of his impact.

If an Ozil pass creates a goal, then he's had a good game. He's made a decisive impact even if he's done little else to influence proceedings.

The problem is that no player, no matter his technical level, is creative enough to produce an assist every game. Records that will never be broken would exist if that was the case. The truth is even the most technically assured provider's output is going to be sporadic.

But the problem is that when a player like Ozil doesn't supply goals, he does little else. Usually, he does nothing else. At that point, Arsenal are just carrying one member of the starting XI. That's a syndrome Wenger has seen before, back in the days when Andrey Arshavin frustratingly loitered through games.

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Back then, Wenger attempted to mitigate the periods when Arhsavin would go missing by taking him out of the middle and relying instead on Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. He's attempting a similar dynamic with Ozil and the current squad. It's no coincidence that Wenger has begun this season deploying Ozil on the left side of a 4-1-4-1 formation.

Shifting Ozil wide is supposed to prevent his periods of torpor from undermining the pace and flow of Arsenal's possession. It's also supposed to encourage his wanderlust and give him more space to get on the ball and probe for openings.

But there's always a tradeoff. For the team, it's been a defensive fragility down the left side. That's evident when Ozil refuses to track back, or whenever he saunters into the middle hunting the ball.

For Ozil, the positional shift takes him out of his favourite No. 10 position. He recently made that clear to the media:

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I’m one of the best players in the world in that No 10 position. Fans, coaches, players and everyone knows that my best position is playmaker.

It’s different playing on the left. When I was in Madrid, I often played on the right. I enjoyed that because I’m left-footed and I was able to cut inside to give assists and get shots on target. On the left, it’s more difficult. If I do get past someone I’m still away from the danger zone, still on the flank, and it’s harder for me to find the final ball with my right foot than with my left.

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However, the position argument is wearing more than a little thin. As the player himself pointed out, playing wide in Madrid didn't slow his production. It also didn't hinder Germany, or Ozil for that matter, when he played left.

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A common refrain is that Ozil has needed more pace around him to show his best for Arsenal. That's a valid argument for any player who specialises in passing between the lines. Yet Ozil is no longer lacking for pacy options the way he was last season. The arrivals of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck have given Arsenal a lightning-fast forward line that can help coax the best from Ozil.

But the effort has to come from the player, and it has to come soon. Wenger has an abundance of midfielders he can call on if Ozil continues to flounder, all of whom operate best in attacking areas.

The Arsenal chief recently derided the idea of Jack Wilshere being deployed in a defensive role as he has been for England, telling reporters:

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I personally prefer Jack Wilshere in a more advanced position than in a deep-lying role as a midfielder.

If it works [playing deeper], it works and I am very happy for him but I think he is a guy capable of creating danger in the final third. He is provocative in his dribbling and I would like to use this quality.

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Certainly, Wilshere's goal and general performance carrying the fight to City would support this view. However, with so many players to accommodate in advanced areas, Wenger can't make room for any passengers.

Ozil is out of excuses. He arrived at Arsenal as the so-called assist king of Europe, having created 47 goals in three seasons for Madrid, per Mirror writer Ed Malyon. Yet he hasn't been anywhere near as prodigious since he made the move to North London.

Sobering numbers from OptaJoe prove that:

The 25-year-old recently described his pride in his career record of providing for others, per Rob Kelly of Arsenal.com: "I’m very proud [of my assist record]. Often there is a lot of talk or a lot written about goals and not necessarily about who has given the assist, which is normal. But you can’t forget that the assists are just as important as goals."

However, talk is starting to look awfully cheap when it comes to Ozil. He's now been with the Gunners for over a year. The adaptation period should be a distant memory.

The positional issue needn't be as tough as it's often portrayed to be. Ozil also now has more than enough pace around him for his passes.

All that's left is for the player to use his considerable natural talent to seize the initiative in games rather than simply hope the old magic will just reappear.

The time is now for Arsenal's record signing to finally assume the mantle of assist king and deliver.