Friday, 19th September, 2014



Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger feels that fans should hold off criticising Mesut Ozil, pointing to the player's participation in the World Cup this summer as a potential reason for his slow start with the Gunners.

Ozil came under fire on Tuesday evening when Arsenal were comprehensively outplayed by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, suffering a 2-0 defeat in the process.



The German was largely absent against his compatriots and was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain just after the hour mark.

Wenger though thinks Ozil has mitigating factors when it comes to his lacklustre form.

 


"Criticism] is a bit unfair because I believe that our offensive talents on Tuesday night were not in their best condition, and they couldn’t express that talent", Wenger explained via his club's site.

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"On the other hand it’s post-World Cup. He came back on August 11. You know it takes a few months for them to get back to their best, that can happen.

"Many of the World Cup players don’t even play at the moment.

"I believe that’s natural and I’ve seen that before. I’ve gone through that before and it’s normal – it’s more mental than physical in my opinion", the Frenchman added.

Wenger will be hoping Ozil can quickly rediscover his best.

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