Mesut Ozil is still two assists behind Thierry Henry's 20... but it's not his fault the record isn't his yet! The German is creating the chances... Arsenal just aren't scoring them

In October, he had nine. In December, he had 16. By the time January arrived, we all thought it was a shoo-in. Thierry Henry's record would be broken, perhaps within the month.

Yet just two assists since the turn of the year for Mesut Ozil has left him on 18 since February, and Henry's 20 in 2002/03 seems set to stay unbeaten.

Time is running out with just three games to go until the season ends but it is not down to Ozil that the record is not his yet. It is down to his Arsenal team-mates not taking the chances he creates.

Arsenal's Mesut Ozil pictured during a training session on Friday ahead of their game against Norwich

Ozil pictured during training as he looks to add to his assists tally this season on Saturday against Norwich

Ozil is currently stuck on 18 assists for the season and needs two more to equal Thierry Henry's record

MESUT OZIL IN 2015-16 

	2015	2016
Games played	18	15
Minutes played	1549	1320
Goals	3	3
Assists	16	2
Chances created	80	57
Chances converted %	20%	3.51%
Shot conversion rate %	20%	21.43%

Ozil has created more chances (137) than any other Premier League player in a season since Opta started collecting the data in 2003.

Frank Lampard held the record (134, set in 2008-09) but, against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light last week, Ozil broke that.

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SOCCER PREDICTIONS FOR SATURDAY 30-04-2016

Austria » Tipico Bundesliga 2015/2016:

Admira – Altach                     1win

AC Wolfsberger – Mattersburg                    1win

Belgium » Jupiler League 2015/2016:

Charleroi – Lokeren               (0:2) 2 Alternative Handicap.                                 

KV Mechelen - St. Truiden    (0:2) 2 Alternative Handicap.                                             

Kortrijk - St. Liege      (2:0) 1 Alternative Handicap.                                             

Waasland-Beveren - Mouscron Peruwelz               over 1 GOALS

Croatia » 1. HNL 2015/2016:

NK Zagreb – Belupo              (0:2) 2 Alternative Handicap.                                             

D. Zagreb - Istra 1961                        1win

England » Premier League 2015/2016:

Everton – Bournemouth                   1win                          

Newcastle Utd - Crystal Palace        10minutes x                          

Stoke City – Sunderland                   (0:2) 2 Alternative Handicap.                                             

Watford - Aston Villa                                    1win               

West Brom - West Ham                    (2:0) 1 Alternative Handicap.                                             

Arsenal – Norwich                 1win

 

It was a stalemate that summed up the second half of Arsenal's season. Ozil set them up, they didn't score, and it ended 0-0.

And that's how it's been in 2016.

Olivier Giroud has gone 14 games without a goal in the Premier League, and only two centre forwards have been on longer barren runs (Newcastle's Siem De Jong on 17 and Swansea's Bafetimbi Gomis on 15).

After Sunderland, Arsene Wenger admitted his striker simply cannot score, and that he is worried it could cost him and his team Champions League qualification this season.

It did not look that way at the halfway point to the season, however. 

In 2015, Ozil created 80 chances, and 20 per cent were converted into goals. In 2016, he has 57, and just 3.51 per cent have been put away.

Their last game in December ‒ a 2-0 win against Bournemouth ‒ left them top of the table as Ozil added another assist to his total before scoring their second.

Yet they have fallen since and sit just five points ahead of Manchester United, who have a game in hand over the Gunners.

Arsenal could have had a top-four finish secured, or even be challenging Leicester to be crowned champions, but it has been a season of missed chances. 

Arsenal aren't taking the chances that Ozil creates with Olivier Giroud (left) and Alexis Sanchez on 12 goals apiece in the Premier League

+5

Arsenal sit fourth in the Premier League ahead of the Norwich game and will not win a trophy this season

ARSENAL IN 2015 AND 2016 

	2015	2016
Games	19	16
Games won	12	6
Games drawn	3	7
Games lost	4	3
Goals	33	25
Goals conceded	18	16
Shot conversion rate %	15.42%	14.29%
Passing accuracy %	85.02%	83.49%
Possession %	57.74%	59.06%

It is that which has seen Ozil's assists go from 16 before the turn of the year to two since, and Arsenal's downfall since December coincided with Giroud's.

Before 2016 arrived, the striker had 10 goals in 19 games, and his conversion rate was 23.26 per cent. Since 2016 arrived, he has two in 16, and a rate of only 6.45 per cent.

Ozil still averages around four chances created per game but the sad truth is they're going to waste.

In 2008-09, when Lampard created his 134 chances, Nicolas Anelka ended as Premier League's top goalscorer.

Arsenal just don't have that, with Giroud and Alexis Sanchez on 12 apiece this season.

There is a silver lining, though.

In between Manchester City away, Arsenal play Norwich and Aston Villa at home. That season finale at the Emirates Stadium could be seen as shooting fish in a barrel for Ozil against an already-relegated team.

CREDIT TO:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3565427/Mesut-Ozil-two-assists-Thierry-Henry-s-20-s-not-fault-record-isn-t-German-creating-chances-Arsenal-just-aren-t-scoring-them.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490