Man in spotlight Ozil must deliver for the Germans

THIS is Mezut Ozil’s time. That was the message from a fired-up German camp last night as the world champions prepared to launch the defence of their crown against Mexico later today.

Few players of Ozil’s stature have divided opinion as much as Arsenal’s £42million midfielder, whose inconsistency and languid attitude last season was one reason why the Gunners again finished outside the Champions League slots.

Off the field, things have been even worse after Ozil (right) and German team-mate Ilkay Gundogan, both of Turkish origin, prompted a wave of outrage after being photographed with Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In recent friendlies, both players were jeered and whistled by German fans and Gundogan was reportedly close to tears after the final warm-up against Saudi Arabia. The night before, his car windows had been smashed outside the team hotel.

Gundogan has since apologised by saying he was ‘still so grateful to play for Germany’ but Ozil, a certain starter today, has been conspicuous by his silence. Although Germany left for Russia under a cloud, last night Ozil’s highly-rated team-mate Julian Draxler leapt to the defence of the Arsenal man. Draxler shrugged off suggestions that Ozil’s form had been affected by all the recent negative publicity and said he was the most valuable player in the entire German squad.

‘We’re very focused on the tournament and the mood is great,’ said Draxler, the Paris St Germain forward who captained Gemany in the absence of Manuel Neuer at last year’s Confederations Cup. ‘All the noise about Mezut being subdued and not up to his best is not true and has been way over the top. ‘The debate about his body language has been raging for a couple of years but he’s an exceptional player. He has technical abilities that are unparalleled. He’s probably our most creative player. Trust me, he will be there when we need him. He will deliver.’ The four-time champions have won their last seven opening World Cup games and have never lost to Mexico. ‘Obviously we want to start with a victory, it goes without saying,’ said Draxler. ‘Mexico can hurt you by pressing high up the field but if we believe in our qualities, we’ll be fine. We are very united and are not bothered by all this other stuff.’

No country has retained the World Cup since Brazil in 1962 and coach Joachim Low knows how hard the task ahead will be.

‘It’s probably the most difficult feat in football as history as demonstrated,’ said Low. ‘No one has been able to do it (since Brazil). But as far as our ambition and hunger is concerned, you can feel it.

‘All the players know there is no greater event but at the same time we are not getting ahead of ourselves. Everyone is yearning to go.’