Date: 25th April 2016 at 7:05pm
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With the announcment of the 2016 PFA Team of the Year this week, congratulations go to Gunners starlet Hector Bellerin, who in his first full season in the first team, deservedly claimed the right-back slot. He was surprisingly the only Gunner to make the list this season with Mesut Ozil, well deserving of a place for a magnificent season of breaking assist records and on course to break even more, missing out.

The team is made up of many of the stars that shone in this seasons unpredictable Premier League: David De Gea, Danny Rose, Wes Morgan, Toby Alderweireld, Hector Bellerin, N’Golo Kante, Delle Alli, Riyhad Mahrez, Dimitri Payet, Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane. An eleven filled with players who have all had fantastic seasons invidivdually and players of Spurs, West Ham and Leicester with their clubs.

As a Gooner though and as a football fan, I have to question why Ozil didn’t get the nod from his peers over Payet, bearing in mind his unbelievable form and assist record this season. Payet has had strong season, but Ozil has double his assists, broken numerous assist records and is within touching distance of even more. On 18, he is only two assists away from the all-time Premier League record and could also beat the most chances created record.

He was blistering at the start of the season by unbelievably managing 10 assists in just 11 games and at times had more assists invidually than some teams in the Premier League this term. He was well on course to be player of the season, let alone just making the team and it’s a it’s a real shame for the German who has been our best player and one of the most creative players in the Premier League not to get the recognition he deserves for his efforts.

He has suffered individually much like the team has this term by having a poor second half of the season and his outstanding form in the early part of the season has largely been forgotten as Arsenal have yet again faded away to obscurity.

If the Gunners were at the top of the league, it would be a different story, but the fact that Leicester, Spurs and West Ham are massively excedding expecations and Arsenal, despite Arsene Wenger’s protestations, have thrown it away lost a huge amount respect for not seeing through a job they started so well. Those teams and their players have the momentum are fresh in the mind and are recieving the plaudits they deserve. Arsenal’s players are looked upon as failures and it’s been a tale of two halves of the season as Ozil put it himself, we botched our own chances of success.

With plenty of games left to go this season, Ozil is on course to beat Thierry Henry’s all-time assist record and I hope he does. He might not get the recognition for it he deserves from elsewhere, but he will from the Gunners fans who will never forget what a season he’s had.

 

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