So far in the 2015/2016 Premier League season there has been one stand-out player in the Arsenal team - Mesut Ozil. Throughout the whole of the Premier League season last year, Ozil was able to provide five assists.
However, already he's provided 16 at the halfway point in the season. So what's the explanation behind the German's incredible change in form?
Firstly, this season we've seen a slight positional change. Although still playing in his favoured attacking midfield position, his tactical role has been adjusted. Since the pre-season games in Singapore, it's been apparent that Mesut Ozil has been told to get forward more and, at times, adopt a "shadow striker" role.
This article first appeared on Arsenal_fanpictures in December
This has become extremely effective when playing behind Olivier Giroud as the opposition defence often plays with a high line, leaving space in behind the back line. This creates an area for Ozil to run into, get higher up the pitch and into more dangerous spaces in and around their box. When a player of Ozil's quality is found in those areas, goals are never far behind.
Evidence of Ozil making penetrating runs past the back lines was apparent in Monday's 2-0 win against Bournemouth when the playmaker was able to find the back of the net.
Ozil's success has come down to the hard work he's put in on the training ground. When he joined Arsenal, his physique was criticised as he was seen as being "too weak" to adjust to the physicality of the Premier League. Other elements including his stamina and workrate help him perform at a top level during a potential 50-game season.
Arguably this was the players 'downfall' in his first season. His footballing ability was never questioned, but he was questioned if he could do it consistently in an alien league which didn't compliment his playing style.
However this season he's proved the critics wrong. It's clear that over the summer he's bulked up and improved his stamina. Already, he's played 18 out of a possible 19 Premier League games (compared to just 22 last season).
Recently we saw Ozil play 180+ minutes of football in the space of 48 hours when he completed both games against Southampton and Bournemouth. Due to him being able to play consistently, we've seen his confidence dramatically increase; in the last 12 games, he's either scored or assisted.
To me, him being able to play and compete for longer in this new-found tactical role has led to the creation of a more efficient player. Huge praise must be handed to those that are responsible for this deliberate change. Certainly if Ozil's fine form continues, Arsenal stand in an excellent position to challenge for silverware.
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