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Mesut Özil unhappy over criticism of Arsenal and Germany displays Sorry - this page has been removed.
(7 months later)
Mesut Özil has come out all guns blazing after criticism of his displays for Arsenal and most of all for the world champions, Germany. This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason.
“The fans believed I played a good World Cup. The statistics show that as well. I was satisfied with my performance at the World Cup. I know I could have scored more goals and shot more but I was surprised the press was negative,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“In my first season at Arsenal there were times when I was not at my best but in the qualifiers for the national team I did perform well. Look, I scored the most goals in qualifying [eight]. The negative headlines were unfair.” For further information, please contact:
The playmaker pointed out he has been voted Germany’s national player of the year three times by fans and that an injury to the left-winger Marco Reus before the World Cup meant the Germany coach, Joachim Löw, had to shift him over.
“The negative criticism came out of nowhere, it went from zero to 100. I went from being the darling of German football, the jewel in the crown, to being hammered in the media,” Özil said.
“I’m one of the best players in the world in that No10 position. Fans, coaches, players and everyone knows that my best position is playmaker.
“It’s different playing on the left. Joachim Löw needed me on the left. It’s not about the individual, it’s about the team.“
Özil said he expects great things at Arsenal this season with the addition of Alexis Sánchez from Barcelona.
“Of course Arsenal can win the Premier League. We’ve strengthened our squad. We also want to show that we can play better in the Champions League. We have the potential to reach the final,” he said.
“We can achieve something big this season,” he added.