Steven Gerrard has criticised Mesut Ozil after Arsenal’s defeat.
According to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, Germany attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil is a “liability” for Arsenal.
The Gunners suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Stoke City on Saturday, where Ozil didn’t make a strong impact throughout the game.
A debut goal for jese Rodriguez consigned Arsenal to a 1-0 defeat at Stoke, and after the match Gerrard picked out Ozil for strong criticism.
The former English captain launched into the 28-year-old Arsenal playmaker for his lackluster performance at the Bet365 stadium.
Ozil is a gifted player, but his work-rate and willingness to drop deep and help out in the defence has come into question time and again.
Gerrard says that Arsene Wenger must address this problem because the 28-year-old always fails to track back when the Gunners are out of possession.
The Liverpool Under-18 manager says that he is “worried about” Ozil’s body language, and has labelled him as a “liability” for the team.
He adds that the German offers his teammates very little away from home defensively. Martin Keown has also echoed Gerrard’s opinion, saying Arsenal “cannot afford to carry someone like Ozil”.
“You’re a man down. If you’ve got a man who doesn’t fancy running back and busting a gut and doing dirty work out of possession, you’re a man down,” said Gerrard, as quoted by The Times.
“‘I just worry about his body language and his reaction when the ball is turned over. He offers his teammates nothing away from home defensively and on the road he’s a liability. Both his and [Granit] Xhaka’s reaction in the build-up to the goal is weak. Ozil gives up and quits.”
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