Arsenal bowed out of the Champions League yesterday 5-1 on aggregate following a 3-1 defeat against Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
Mesut Ozil started for Arsenal and despite creating three goalscoring chances he was unable to extend his assist record which currently stands at 19.
Ozil was heavily criticised after the game and came under fire for not having an influential role in the game.
The World Cup winner was subjected to countless tweets such as the following two which called into question whether he can perform on the big stage.
Arsenal fans were right about Mesut Ozil being a magician, he's disappeared once again
— Lemuel (@LHervie14) March 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/leanne3654/status/710212396669931520
Taking a look at Ozil’s statistics over the course of the game does however, call into question whether the criticism was actually well deserved.
Ozil did create three goalscoring chances and only Alexis Sanchez created more (4). Had Ozil’s teammates been less forgiving in-front of goal we would probably be all talking about the 27-year-old being a genius.
The Arsenal star has often fallen victim to the profligacy of the Arsenal forwards. No other player in the Premier League has created as many chances as Ozil (115) but the Gunners have scored the fewest goals in the top four.
The Germany international of Turkish origin made three successful dribbles and made the highest number of passes for his side (58) albeit with a rather disappointing 78 percent accuracy.
The playmaker does not actually have a terrible record in big games having scored against Bayern Munich, Manchester United and league leaders Leicester City.
Ozil can hardly be described as having a terrible game but where the frustration lies is more likely to be with the fact he is so highly rated yet did not managed to rescue his team.
The Gunners record breaking signing could still win back his doubters if he manages to guide Arsenal to the league title which is still within their grasp.
"This goal's out of order!" Our @btsport team sit back and admire @LuisSuarez9's volley ? #UCL #FCBvAFC https://t.co/Qg4zSnn4tY
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) March 16, 2016
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