Mesut Özil has spoken out to defend Unai Emery’s first year with Arsenal, despite critics of the head coach growing more outspoken after recent performances.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on March 10, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 10: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on March 10, 2019, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Arsenal are just two points off the top four and leading 3-1 after the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, but there’s still plenty of cause for concern at the moment. The Gunners’ domestic form is terrible, having lost four of their last five games, and even the latest win over Valencia in Europe came with that potentially hazardous away goal.

Whether the season is viewed as a successful one by fans will come down to the final three or four games. However, Mesut Özil has spoken to the media to defend Arsenal’s new head coach, despite the constant rumours of falling outs between the pair.

“I think he is doing really good work,” Özil said. “When you look at the team, you can see that we have developed.

“For a new coach, in a new country and at a new club where it’s perhaps a different culture than you are used to, you have to let those things develop. But he is definitely in a good way.

“He brings us forward and I hope he will continue to get better in the coming years. It’s like with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool — over time he has been able to make them successful gradually — and hopefully, Unai Emery can do the same.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal gives his team instructions during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and AFC Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on February 27, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 27: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal gives his team instructions during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and AFC Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on February 27, 2019, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

It’s good to see that the playmaker is giving his public backing to his current boss. He also denied the reports of any issues between them, saying: “We have no problems at all, really — as has been the case with my previous coaches as well. We have a professional relationship and we get on well.”

Let’s hope that’s true, and the pair can work together to achieve a successful end to the season and a positive second campaign for Emery in North London.