Mesut vs. Mahrez: How the Premier League’s most in form midfieders compare

With fourteen games played in the season so far, Leicester City have proven to be the surprise package, sitting nicely on the top of the table, a point above second placed Arsenal. Jamie Vardy has been the talk of the town for the Foxes, having broken Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of scoring in 12 consecutive Premier League games and leading the goalscoring charts with 14 goals in 15 games. But another player who has been key for Leicester is midfielder Riyad Mahrez. His hat-trick against Swansea means that he has now scored ten goals and is the joint second highest scorer in the league. He is an excellent dribbler, with pace and trickery, and also has an eye for a pass. The Algerian has been the engine in Leicester’s midfield, in their dream run so far.

Another midfielder who is making waves in England and Europe this season is Arsenal’s German talisman, Mesut Ozil. The German has made a record of his own, having assisted in six consecutive games. Although he broke that spell against Norwich, scoring in that match instead, he carried on this weekend against Sunderland, setting up Joel Campbell with an incisive through ball. The assist took Ozil’s tally to twelve for the season, the highest in any of the top leagues in Europe. The German has been in the best form of his Arsenal career, and amidst an injury crisis at the Emirates, he has helped keep Arsenal in the title race with his brilliant vision and excellent set piece deliveries. Olivier Giroud has been a major benefactor of Ozil’s brilliance, with four of his last five Premier League goals set up by the German international.

When the two sides met, it was Arsenal and Ozil who came out on top in September, with the German bagging an assist and playing a crucial role in two other goals as Arsenal raced on to a thrilling 2-5 win, the only one Leicester have suffered so far this season, but it’s the Foxes who lead the table right now. So how do these midfielders, flying high at the moment, compare when it comes down to the numbers?

Attack – Shots and Goals

Riyad Mahrez has scored a blistering ten goals this season, while Ozil has only notched two. This probably comes from the fact that Ozil has taken only 22 shots compared to Mahrez’ 42. This reflects well their playing styles, as Ozil prefers to sit deep and set up his teammates, and even tries to pass inside the box if he can while Mahrez is a more direct player who fancies his chances when he can create them. Both Ozil and his manager have spoken about how he needs to shoot more to get more goals, and the German would definitely want to improve in this area of the game.

Playmaking – Assists and Passes

Mesut Ozil has been phenomenal in this aspect, with 51 key passes and 63 chances created, slightly more than double of Mahrez’ numbers, which read at 25 and 31 respectively. Mahrez has managed to set up 6 goals this campaign, beinga key creative element for Leicester while Mesut Ozil is flying high with 12 assists. The playmaker is on his way to breaking Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a season and is looking like he is worth every penny that Arsenal paid for him. Ozil also posts a pass completion rate of 88% against Mahrez’ 74%.

Other Stats

Mahrez is also on top when it comes to successful take-ons and fouls suffered, and has also made more of a defensive contribution in terms of tackles and interceptions, which you would expect given his position as a winger and Ozil having a license to roam in Arsenal’s setup.

Overall, both players are on fire in their respective positions. Mahrez is a more direct player, playing in a Leicester team that rely on pace and directness and Ozil is Arsenal’s chief playmaker, sitting behind the front three and providing in plenty. The statistics rightly reflect their roles while also highlighting how impactful both of them have been in their respective positions. Taking the numbers out of the pictures, both players are key for their teams in what they bring to the table. Mahrez with his dribbling and directness makes defenders more wary and makes Leicester more lethal. Ozil is all over the pitch, picking out quick passes helping Arsenal with their patient build up play and more often than not, finding those incisive passes for his teammates in space. Ozil has also been deadly from set pieces as Arsenal have found a Plan B after many years of being rather incompetent from corners and free kicks. All in all, it’s been a great season for both these midfielders and fans can hope for more excitement and entertainment to come from them as the season progresses.