Football agent and lawyer Dr Erkut Sogut feels that criticism against Mesut Ozil is unwarranted.
Ozil has come under fire from sections of the media and Arsenal fans over recent weeks following a dip in form.
See More: For Mesut Ozil news and everything you want to know about the Arsenal star
The Germany international of Turkish origin has not scored a goal for the Gunners since 10 December 2016.
Ozil was slammed after his display in the 5-1 defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League Last 16 first-leg clash in Germany but Dr Sogut feels his client is being made a scapegoat.
Dr Sogut revealed that Bayern kept 74 percent possession and that instead of focusing on Ozil perhaps pundits and fans should be discussing other players.
“Criticism is normal if a player plays badly,” Dr Sogut told BBC Sport.
“But Mesut feels people are not focusing on his performance; they are using him as a scapegoat for the team after bad results.”
“Bayern had 74% possession,” said Sogut, who is Ozil’s lawyer and representative. “How can someone in the No.10 position create chances if you don’t have the ball?
“In these games people usually target a player who cost a lot of money and earns a lot of money – that is Mesut. But he can’t be always be the scapegoat. That’s not fair.”
Dr Sogut underlined that nobody on the Arsenal team played particularly well and questioned whether Ozil should be blamed when the team conceded five goals.
“Football is a team sport and Arsenal are not performing well as a team. Eleven players were on the pitch but Mesut was singled out for criticism. Was he the reason that Arsenal conceded five goals?,” he added.
Just a few months ago it was a different story. Ozil was name German player of the year for a fifth time in six years in Germany.
Last season Ozil created more chances (137) than any other player in Premier League history. This season he has nine goals and eight assists in all competitions for the North London based outfit.
