MX23RW : Saturday, September 28 23:04:25| >> :60:203:203:
[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
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Ajax11003
2FCSB11003
3Lazio11003
4Spurs11003
5Galatasaray11003
6Lyon11003
7Rangers11003
8Slavia Prague11003
9AZ11003
10Anderlecht11003
11Bodo/Glimt11003
12Braga11003
13Fenerbahce11003
14Plzen10101
15Frankfurt10101
16FC Twente10101
17Hoffenheim10101
18Real Sociedad10101
19Midtjylland10101
20Man Utd10101
21Nice10101
22Roma10101
23Athletic Club00000
24Elfsborg10010
25Ferencvaros10010
26M. Tel Aviv10010
27Porto10010
28Union SG10010
29Ludogorets10010
30Malmo10010
31Olympiacos10010
32PAOK10010
33Dynamo Kiev10010
34Qarabag10010
35RFS10010
36Besiktas10010


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!