Stoke 1 Arsenal 0: Mesut Ozil blasted by Martin Keown and Steven Gerrard after lifeless performance
Gunners legend Keown leads the attack on wantaway playmaker following disappointing defeat against Potters
ARSENAL legend Martin Keown launched a stinging attack on Mesut Ozil after a disappointing defeat at Stoke.
The Gunners slumped to a 1-0 loss thanks to Jese Rodriguez's debut goal, with their wantaway playmaker going missing.
And Keown believes the German should be singled out by Arsene Wenger after failing to put in a shift.
The BT Sport pundit said: "Wenger wants him to be creative to get on the ball and create chances to win matches.
"He’ll accept, maybe wrongly so, that he doesn’t really want to work hard for the team.
"He doesn’t point the finger at one individual but I feel that today Ozil should be doing more for his team. He needs to have a good look at himself.
"He wants to get away from the football club but he’s not going to do it this way. Wenger will make him sit out the rest for the season.
"So while he’s here he need to apply himself in the right way and give arsenal a performance."
Fellow pundit Steven Gerrard backed his former England team-mate.
He said: "You can’t point the finger just at Mesut Ozil but it’s clear to see that out of possession he doesn’t want to know.
"He wants to be on the ball, create and make things happen. World-class players do both.
"They still try and get on the ball but when they lose it they put a shift in for their team-mates."
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Keown also believes there is a lack of structure in the Arsenal midfield which has contributed to them shipping four goals in two league games.
He added: "There’ds a lack of balance. You have Ramsey who wants to get forward, Ozil who wants to create and Xhaka who's the defensive midfielder and is beaten far too easily.
"You could put two defensive midfield players in - but Wenger won’t do that. He doesn’t want Coquelin if things are going wrong.
"At the moment the back three are being exposed. And Monreal playing in the middle inst the answer, I’d have put Mustafi there."
