The Arsenal number 11 and Germany international Mesut Ozil hit back at his critics this week after putting on a Man of the Match performance in the Premier League win at Aston Villa. But as a report in The Mirror reveals, Ozil feels that he has suffered the same sort of thing through the whole of his career. Maybe it is the languid way he seems to play, as Arsene Wenger suggested recently.
Ozil said, “I don’t play to prove anything to anybody, I play for Arsenal.
“I have the feeling that I am criticised more, that happened to me in the Bundesliga and also at Real Madrid.
“We have only just started the season (at Arsenal), we have new players in key positions.
“The collective game, which is something I have a lot to do with, cannot then just work well from one day to the next.
“(Just) 10 weeks ago I was elected to the team of the season in England (via an internet poll on the Premier League website).
“I was world champion then. It was the summer break and after a few games (of the new season) everything is called into question again. This is strange, but I know what I can offer.”
However, a lot of the media criticism directed at the German recently has suggested that, while he was brilliant for Madrid and Germany, Ozil has failed to deliver since coming to England to play for Arsenal, but yet again perceptions may be wrong here. A report by the Daily Star shows that, actually, his stats in some key areas like pass completion, have improved in the last year.
In some areas, like scoring goals, we still need to see more from the playmaker, but another against Villa as well as an assist for Danny Welbeck has got him off the mark for this season and will hopefully lead to more, especially once the new Arsenal team really starts to click. Do you think Arsenal fans will see the best of our record signing this season?