‘He’s the easy person to pick on’ – Joey Barton hits back at Arsenal star’s critics

Former England international Joey Barton has defended Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil.

Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Stoke City on Saturday afternoon. The games only goal came via summer transfer Jese Rodriguez.

Following the game, Ozil bore the brunt of the majority of criticism aimed at the Gunners.

Ex Arsenal defender Martin Keown and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard ripped into Ozil during their post-match analysis on BT Sport.

Keown continued his onslaught in his Daily Mail column where he stated that Ozil was the most frustrating Arsenal player he had ever seen.

However, former Man City midfielder Joey Barton insists Ozil is not to blame for Saturday’s defeat.

See More: Arsenal fans react on social media to Martin Keown’s onslaught against Mesut Ozil

Barton went onto say that Ozil has become an easy target: “He is the easy person to pick on. (TalkSport)

“His skill set is in a different area, creating goals and giving other players opportunities.

“It was a bad ball from Granit Xhaka [for the Stoke goal] and then he compounds the mistake by leaving the centre of the park.

“But you have to give Stoke credit – it is a great finish by the kid.”

Arsenal face a difficult away fixture this weekend against Liverpool as they look to return to winning ways. The Merseyside based club come into the game in good form following wins over Hoffenheim and Crystal Palace.