MX23RW : Friday, November 8 04:15:03| >> :120:19621:19621:
[monks data]
Atletico Madrid logo
Europa League | Semi-Finals
May 3, 2018 at 8.05pm UK
 
Arsenal logo

1-0

Costa (45')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Martin Keown: 'Mesut Ozil not fit to wear the Arsenal shirt'

Keown: 'Ozil not fit to wear the shirt'
© Offside
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is accused of failing to play for the team by former Gunners defender Martin Keown following Thursday's exit from the Europa League.

Martin Keown has slammed Mesut Ozil for his display against Atletico Madrid and has accused the Arsenal midfielder of picking and choosing the games he plays.

Ozil, like many of his teammates at the Wanda Metropolitano, failed to find his rhythm as the Gunners slipped to a 1-0 loss on the night and 2-1 defeat on aggregate in the Europa League semi-final tie.

The Germany international has often come in for criticism from former Arsenal players for failing to take big games by the scruff of the neck, and Keown believes that the incoming new manager needs to get to the bottom of the problem as a priority.

"It's almost like his hands are in the air: 'Look, this group aren't as good as me'," he told BT Sport. "Somebody needed to grab him a long time ago, to give him a shake and say: 'We're trying to get you the ball to you. We are working for you, but you're not working for us.'

"I bet he doesn't play again this season. He'll have some emotional breakdown and he won't be able to play at the weekend. I don't know how many illnesses he's had this season - but the fella is not kidding me! That is not a proper performance. He is not giving everything and there's much more under the bonnet.

"Somebody else will find it. Whether the new manager coming will find it, I don't know. It's a big problem for the new manager because [Arsene] Wenger's invested an awful lot of money in this player — and I'm not seeing a performance to go with it.

"He wasn't fit to wear the shirt for me tonight and I've seen this a lot this season, and he needs to be dug out because we expect better from him. He's a World Cup winner. These are crocodile tears that I'm seeing from the player. He's not conning me!"

Ozil has a combined 17 goals and assists in 33 Premier League and Europa League outings this season.

ID:325059: cacheID:325059:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2892:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Laurent Koscielny receives his marching orders during the Champions League game between Arsenal and Bayern Munich on March 7, 2017
Read Next:
Wenger: 'Koscielny needs a miracle'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Bengals
@
Ravens
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Lazio440012
2Ajax431010
3Anderlecht431010
4Frankfurt431010
5Galatasaray431010
6Spurs43019
7FCSB43019
8Lyon42117
9Rangers42117
10Olympiacos42117
11Bodo/Glimt42117
12Midtjylland42117
13Ferencvaros42026
14Man Utd41306
15Plzen41306
16AZ42026
17Besiktas42026
18Hoffenheim41215
19Roma41215
20Fenerbahce41215
21Elfsborg41124
22Braga41124
23Porto41124
24Slavia Prague41124
25Real Sociedad41124
26Malmo41033
27FC Twente40313
28Qarabag41033
29Union SG40222
30Nice40222
31RFS40222
32Ludogorets40131
33PAOK40131
34Athletic Club00000
35M. Tel Aviv40040
36Dynamo Kiev40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!