NO HEART NO JOY NO PASSION
Ozil slammed by Germany legend Matthaus for his negativity on the pitch
LOTHAR MATTHAUS has questioned Mesut Ozil’s commitment to Germany and claims he looks like someone who might even retire from international football after the World Cup.
Arsenal star Ozil was slammed by
Germany legend
Matthaus (right) for his behaviour before and during the holders’ shock 1-0 defeat to Mexico in their tournament opener on Sunday.
Ozil was in the spotlight ahead of the World Cup after posing for a photo with controversial Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He was joined by Manchester City and Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who is also of Turkish descent.
And, after being widely criticised for the move, Matthaus reckons Ozil missed a trick against Mexico.
Matthaus said: “I emphasise that I have no problem at all that Ozil (right) does not sing along with the anthem. This is up to each player, whether he has German, Turkish or African roots.
“But what I have observed after the anthem in Moscow, made me very angry. Ten German players waved to the crowd, giving the fans a sign, but only Ozil didn’t.
“This makes it obvious that Ozil doesn’t understand why there are such great discussions in Germany about him.
“He’s unaware of what people in Germany expect from a national player.
“It would have been right to make a commitment to Germany, after the error of the Erdogan photo, to show the fans.”
Ozil divides opinion like few other players in England, and Matthaus shares many of the doubts that have been expressed by the 29-year-old’s Arsenal critics, despite enjoying the consistent support of national coach Joachim Loew (below).
He continued: “What displeases me about Ozil is his body language is negative. He is in the game without joy.
“I often have the feeling that on the pitch
Ozil doesn’t feel comfortable in the
Germany shirt – it’s as if he does not want to play.
“There is no heart, no joy, no passion. After the last impressions, it would not surprise me if he withdraws from the national team after the World Cup.
“For a year or two, Ozil has played at a level that doesn’t justify the free ticket of Jogi Loew. If things go well, then Ozil plays well too. If things are going badly, then it [a poor performance] will happen too.”
Germany bid to get their campaign back on track against Sweden on Saturday and skipper Manuel Neuer admits they have their backs to the wall.
After delaying his appearance before the media for almost an hour due to a team meeting that overran he said: “We are frustrated and disappointed.
“Now it is up to us to react. We talked about what we must improve.
“We cannot change the result of the game against Mexico or of the warm-up games. Now we have to show what made us strong in the past. We are convinced we can do it.
“No one is shying away from responsibilities. We have tried to find points we can improve and say our opinions honestly.
“The courage and self-belief were missing. I cannot say why, but, from our body language and readiness of the past, it was not on the pitch.”