The Arsenal and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil is certainly one to divide opinion, and my poll the other day showed that nearly a 50-50 split of JustArsenal readers on whether Ozil is still World Class or not.
He is having the same effect in Germany and team-mate Marco Reus came out in support of the 29 year-old Gunner. Reus said: “We are one team, on and off the pitch, no matter what they say,”
“It just shows that Mesut, despite not playing, is with the team, and is there for us.
“He’s just an extremely important player for us.
“He’s one of the best players in the world, and I am more than convinced we’ll see him in this tournament again.”
But adversely the ex-Bayern Munich star Mario Basler said: “I have to say it over and over again, Ozil is an overrated footballer.
“His body language is that of a dead frog.
“If you look at the Mexico game and the way he has defended as a so-called leader, that was pathetic. It was like ‘there, please take the ball and shoot’. That’s not defence.
“Ozil hides. Even in 2014 he was only a follower. He did relatively little to make us world champions.
“As he plays at the moment he does not help the team to defend the title. And why Jogi Low always puts up with him is a mystery.
“In a big game you will see nothing of Mesut Ozil. He scored against Luxembourg, but against big teams he does not.”
A little harsh don’t you think?
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