Think people make too much of the assists though. What's really important is the way he influences the team. Either he ceates something himself or he makes it possible for someone else to do it. Look at Olympiacos for instance.
I know people used to make this argument about Hleb too, but he was always hiding in the statistics. Özil by contrast is topping every single one. Plus he knows how to move off the ball and not just on it.
