Mikel Arteta defends Mesut Ozil and explains how Arsenal can help him back to his best

Arsenal boss Arteta has his say on Ozil’s form.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken out on Mesut Ozil’s form and defended the German playmaker.

Ozil is so often the target of criticism from Arsenal fans and pundits alike, but it seems Arteta is not rushing the 31-year-old to get back to producing world class displays on a regular basis.

Make of that what you will, but Arteta’s approach sounds like a sensible one, as the Spanish tactician suggests people are expecting too much from him too quickly.

On top of that, the manager makes the point that some of Ozil’s play has been good, but he hasn’t been getting assist numbers due to his team-mates not finishing those scoring opportunities.

Arteta is also aware it’s down to him to get the structure of the team right to make the most of Ozil’s talents, which seems a refreshing change from the stubborn Unai Emery, who probably didn’t make enough of an effort to find a role for Ozil in his team.

“I reviewed that (Ozil’s form) in the last week or so,” Arteta told Sky Sports.

“He has been unlucky with some of the times that he has put people through and they have not scored. Things like that would have made stats a little bit different.

“But you don’t go from where he was to where he can be in five weeks, I’m sorry. Even when you really want to do it, it doesn’t always go that way. You have to be so constant. But he is trying so hard and he is very willing.

“I think it goes both ways. The team cannot have the right structure to support him if he doesn’t do some of those non-negotiables.

“If he does them, then the team can afford to have someone like him to make the difference.

“In some moments, he has come very close to what I would like to see from him on the pitch.”