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Head-to-head: How Philippe Coutinho and Mesut Ozil’s stats compare

Arsenal face Liverpool on Friday night in a clash which brings two of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League into direct competition.

Despite the continued distraction of Barcelona’s interest, Liverpool man Philippe Coutinho continues to put in some brilliant performances in the Premier League, contributing a number of typically excellent goals and assists.

Mesut Ozil, meanwhile, seems to be making everyone fall back in love with him at Arsenal, scoring a stunning volley against Newcastle at the weekend which only highlighted his technical genius.

We’ve decided to put the two up against each other, comparing the stats from the Premier League season so far…

Goals and assists

In fewer Premier League appearances this season, Coutinho has scored more goals than his German counterpart, finding the net on five occasions compared to Ozil’s three.

Both players have the same number of assists, creating five goals each for team-mates this campaign.

The statistics suggest Ozil is more creative, however, creating 4.1 chances per 90 minutes, while Coutinho averages 3.2.

And Arsenal’s number 11 has a better shot conversion rate, with 13% of his efforts hitting the back of the net, compared to Coutinho’s rate of 11.4%.

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READ: The majesty of Mesut Özil & the tragedy of taking talent for granted

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Passing and shooting

Ozil is much more prolific when it comes to passing the ball, as could be expected with Arsenal’s style of play.

Per 90 minutes of Premier League football, the German has attempted an average of 77.4 passes. Coutinho averages 60.

Ozil’s pass success rate is also higher, sitting at 86.7% in comparison to the Liverpool midfielder’s 80.1%.

Coutinho attempts far more shots than the former Real Madrid man, taking 4.6 shots per 90 minutes, while Ozil attempts just 1.7.

Other attacking contributions

As you may expect, Coutinho attempts far more dribbles than Ozil per 90 minutes, averaging 5.3 compared to the German’s 2.

Ozil does however have a better success rate when it comes to beating an opposition player, completing 66.7% of dribbles, ahead of Coutinho’s 60%.

When it comes to giving the ball away, both players average 1.6 unsuccessful touches per 90 minutes in the Premier League.

Coutinho, meanwhile; is dispossessed more regularly, on an average of 1.7 times per 90 minutes. Ozil averages 1.4.

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WATCH: Oxlade-Chamberlain interrupts interview to defend Coutinho

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Defensive contributions

Perhaps surprisingly, Coutinho attempts three tackles per 90 minutes of football, with 1.6 of those being successful.

Ozil attempts an average of 1.4 per 90 minutes, but has a much better success rate, winning the ball once per 90 minutes.

The Brazilian, perhaps due to Liverpool’s pressing game, makes more interceptions per 90 minutes (0.8) than Ozil (0.6).


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