Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has been under plenty of scrutiny lately because of his perceived failings in big game situations, but are fans just taking out their frustrations on an easy target?

Of course, the playmakers, the men in the free roles and the creative talents are always the first to become the scapegoat when results aren't what are expected.

After all, if they are not delivering the goods, what are they doing?

Normally when it comes to Ozil, the answer for many Arsenal fans is not a lot. Although the German's running stats are nothing to be embarassed about, his body language leads many to believe he isn't working hard for the team.

So when games like the 3-1 loss to title rivals Chelsea come along like the other week, he is one of the first to feel the backlash.

With the Gunners holding their breath about whether or not Ozil and Alex Sanchez will sign new contracts at the club - is it imperative that Arsenal keep hold of Ozil to truly compete for honours?

The stats say no. If you are £42.5 million worth of talent, you cannot afford to go missing when your team needs you most. That's in the biggest games on the biggest stage.

In total, Ozil has lined up against the five other members of the Premier League's current big six (Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham) 32 times in all competitions. He has managed five goals and eight assists in those games, per Goal.com.

The World Cup winner has never been on the winning side against Tottenham in the league. That in itself is a crying shame for one of Arsenal's main attractions; he can't even say he has secured three points against their fiercest rivals.

It gets worse. Arsenal have lost more Premier League games than they have won against all five of their biggest rivals - with the exception of Liverpool.

In Europe, the 28-year-old has produced just two goals and one assist in 15 Champions League outings for Arsenal against elite European sides (Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain) over the past four years. In that same space of time, Arsenal have not progressed beyond the last 16.

Still, Only Eric Cantona has more assists in the English top-flight than Mesut Ozil after playing 100 games. There is no doubt he is a wonderful talent sometimes, but unfortunately for Arsenal, it's not when they need him most.