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Mesut Ozil is ‘easy prey’ for criticism of Arsenal when things aren’t going well.
That’s according to Sky Sports Tony Cottee, who believes the midfielder is a ‘tremendous’ player.
Arsenal are enduring a difficult period in form having taken just four of their previous 12 games – this includes a 2-1 defeat to Swedish outfit Ostersunds on Thursday night, which was a huge upset as far as the odds were concerned with bookies listed at http://openodds.com/.
Ozil, who has impressed for much of the season, recently committed to the club for a further four years.
And former West Ham and Everton striker Cottee believes the German could become the No 1 man for Arsenal following Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester United.
“Perhaps Ozil needed Sanchez to move on. There’s no doubt Sanchez was that main figure for Arsenal and I think, now he’s gone, Ozil will step up to the plate.
As reported byWhen asked whether Ozil was now the Gunners’ key player, Cottee told Premier League Daily: “I think he is., When asked whether Ozil was now the Gunners’ key player, Cottee said: “I think he is.
Ozil has four goals and seven assists this season
“He’s been given a new contract as well, which is a huge boost for him. I thought he was going to leave at the end of the season.
“He’s such a tremendous player and I think he’s easy prey if things aren’t going so well. If Arsenal are losing games, it’s ‘Ozil’s not working hard enough’. I think we forget all the assists and all the goals he scores.
“He’s a top player, but nowadays you can’t just stroll around and not do the defensive side of things.”
Ozil turned down interest from Man Utd and Barcelona to extend his stay at the Emirates. No player has claimed more Premier League assists since the German arrived from Real Madrid in 2013.
Gunners fans will be hoping the 29 year-old can tilt the League Cup final in Arsenal’s favour against Man City this Sunday, but they will be up against it versus the Premier League champions elect.
