Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has faced heavy criticism in the German media following the World Cup group stage defeat against Mexico.
Ozil has had a rough week. Several former Germany national team players including Lohar Matthaus, Stefen Effenberg and Mario Basler slammed his performance.
“He’s over-rated as a footballer. I have to say it over and over again – he has the body language of a dead frog. It’s pathetic,” Basler stated live on TV, his words were applauded by the live audience.
Former national team player and Liverpool legend Dietmar Hamann – who hasn’t always sung Ozil’s praises – leaped to the defence of Ozil.
Hamann called for Ozil’s critics to stop singling him out and recognise what he bring to the team.
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The playmaker of Turkish origin has been made a scapegoat for Germany’s poor performance.
“Ozil is a brilliant player with great merits for German football. So steer clear of Ozil,” Hamann said.
“If we want to play a role at the World Cup, he is one of the most important, if not the most important players in the team.
“The hunt for Ozil was not so bad for some players, they could just hide behind him. If it works, everyone is happy. If it does not work, Ozil is guilty. And if he did nothing, no one else did anything.
“There is too much talk about tactics and system, the Mexicans were just more aggressive, more powerful and the Germans were surprised by their class. We played naively, everyone wanted to play with the ball, no one without a ball.”
Ozil created four chances, 88 touches and 75 passes with 91 percent pass accuracy.
Germany’s campaign continues on Saturday when they face Sweden, who beat South Korea 1-0.
