Ozil's Team of the Year omission a slap in the face to league's best playmaker
Mesut Ozil was always going to struggle to maintain the blistering assists record that triggered talks of the German being the runaway favourite to win the PFA Player of the Year in the first half of the season.
Even if the individual award failed to come to fruition, the Arsenal midfielder looked like a lock to be named to the exclusive PFA Team of the Year.
Thierry Henry was in his sights, with Ozil more than two-thirds of the way to reaching the Arsenal legend's 13-year-old record for assists in a season before the halfway mark. Things were looking good in the standings, as well, by the time he provided his 16th helper, as Arsenal shot up to top spot in the league.
As the season progressed, however, Ozil's play in the middle of the park did little to stop a sputtering Arsenal team from getting knocked off its perch. Injuries and an overall dip in form saw the club cede its place to current leaders Leicester City.
Regardless of Arsenal's record, Ozil has emerged as a victim of recency bias, as performances from midfielders such as Dimitri Payet and Dele Alli have seen the pair propel ahead of Ozil, who has only managed two assists this calendar year, to seemingly take the 27-year-old's place on the PFA Team of the Year.
Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante rounded out the midfielders selected for the PFA Team of the Year, with Hector Bellerin winning a place on the team for the first time in his young career to become the lone Arsenal player represented.
Yet it's hard to argue that the exclusion isn't a slap in the face, of sorts, for one of the primary architects in charge of a supremely talented midfield, especially after he's consistently found himself at the centre of criticism since his move from Real Madrid in 2013.
Despite past seasons where Ozil failed to carry over the performances that triggered his £42.5-million transfer from the Santiago Bernabeu to the Emirates Stadium, the gifted midfielder finally played with the style and flair that warranted such a massive fee.
Where some players can go unnoticed whenever the inevitable dip in form creeps up during a long, strenuous Premier League season, Ozil has yet again become a lightning rod for negative analysis, and is one of the perceived reasons for Arsenal's tumble down the table.
In what will be another season in which Ozil looks destined to witness yet another campaign slip away without the chance of hoisting the Premier League trophy, the German international at least deserved to be recognized for his impact on an Arsenal side that many believed would snap its Premier League title drought.
Instead, the prospect of Tottenham winning its first title in more than 50 years, and Leicester aiming to win its first-ever top-flight crown, have, unfortunately, taken precedence in the decision to reward players for their recent productivity, instead of their body of work over the course of an entire season.
Justice will be sweet, however, if Ozil can somehow manage a strong finish to the season and steal the PFA Player of the Year award away from the likes of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy.
For Arsenal, it's just about the only trophy the club can hope for this season.