The agent of Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has claimed that his client is being used as a "scapegoat" for the club's recent poor form.
Ozil was once again criticised for his performance during Arsenal's humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich on Wednesday, with the 28-year-old completing just 20 passes in the match - the same number as Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
However, Dr Erkut Sogut believes that Bayern's dominance was the main cause of Ozil's lack of impact on the game and rejected the notion that the German fails to perform on big occasions.
"Criticism is normal if a player plays badly. 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. How can someone in the number 10 position create chances if you don't have the ball?" Sogut told BBC Sport.
"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 always be the scapegoat. That's not fair. 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?
"It started before the match, throughout the week leading up to the game. People started discussing, 'Should he play? Should he be dropped?' It was as if everyone knew Arsenal would not make it through and we needed a scapegoat. This is not right. You win as a team and you lose as a team. I don't agree that Mesut has not had an impact on big matches.
"What about the win at home to Chelsea this season and Manchester United the year before? What about the games for Germany against Italy and France at Euro 2016? People are always saying Mesut is not fighting or tackling, that he has poor body language, but that is how he is. Believe me, he is desperate to succeed. If it doesn't work, he shows his anger and expressions. Was his body language an issue when Arsenal were playing well? He is not someone who runs around aimlessly and tackles just so everyone thinks he is fighting. If it doesn't make sense to run somewhere he will keep that power for the next run."
Ozil has scored 29 goals in 146 appearances for Arsenal since joining from Real Madrid in 2013.
Barney Corkhill
