Mesut Ozil has hit back at his critics who have recently decided to regurgitate the ‘body language’ spiel.
The German doesn’t seem to be able to go a day without someone criticising something he does. Whether they think he’s lazy, doesn’t score enough or doesn’t seem to care, he’s always got hate coming from almost every angle. I’m glad that most Gooners can recognise a good player when we have one but the media are another kettle of fish.
Once again, Ozil’s ‘body language’ is being called into question, almost as if the media don’t have anything better to talk about so they rehash old complaints. Funny that.
The playmaker answered his critics in a recent interview with German publication, Bild.
“Quite honestly, I don’t care what others say,” the 27-year-old said.
“There will always be people who voice their opinion, mostly it’s negative. I don’t know if they have to say it or not. When a former player or whoever wants to make headlines, it just bounces off me.
“Like I said, the coach’s opinion matters: Mr Low tells me the truth.
“How much we run, how many springs, you can ask the Bundestrainer [Low], I am always in the top five. The other thing is just personal, it’s aura. We are all in our own skin.
“I never wanted to prove anything, neither to myself nor anyone else. It was always my goal to help the team. There’s a minority of fans and a few journalists who only measure me by how many goals I’ve scored or created.”
He added, “I will never [change my game], and I don’t have to. I’ve been very successful with it over the years, no matter where in this world I have played.
“Some say that I have to be more egoistic. But I am just the guy who passes the ball when’s someone’s in a better position.”
Ozil has already got one assist in two Euro matches. This is one out of the 35 – yes 35 – he’s provided for his country already. How can they have complaints when they have a player like him on the pitch representing them? He’s proven how much he runs, he’s acknowledged that his priority isn’t to score but to help others do so, what else do they want?
Just because he’s not skipping around the pitch with the German flag painted on his cheeks doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. In fact, I’m certain he cares very much indeed.