That defeat in Munich was a career low, says Ozil
German claims Arsenal display was a ‘fiasco’ Wenger jumps to defend Bellerin after criticism
Mesut Özil says Arsenal’s Champions League humiliation by Bayern Munich was one of the lowest points of his career – but he insists the team can come back stronger.
The Gunners were thrashed 5-1 home and away to exit 10-2 on aggregate, crashing out at the last-16 stage for the seventh year running.
That result, along with a string of underwhelming domestic displays which have left them seventh in the Premier League, has raised pressure on manager Arsène Wenger. However, Özil said in his book
Gunning for Glory: “The devastating loss at Bayern Munich this season is undoubtedly one of the darkest hours of my footballing career. It’s in the top five of the most humiliating defeats I’ve suffered.
“We were positively prepared for the game. Arsène Wenger had revealed to us his game plan. He was very clear about his ideas – and they were good ones.
“I could look for excuses. But I’m not going to. What went on between us in the dressing room after the match is nobody’s business, nor is what Wenger considered our failures to be in his post-match analysis.
“The fact is, we all failed. We were all bad! We played a game that held a mirror up to our faces.
“It was a performance we can’t just brush aside. No, we have to learn our lessons from it. We all have to ask searching questions of ourselves and accept responsibility for the defeat. Because this fiasco also represents a great opportunity!
“In my footballing life, I’ve often fallen flat on my face and been knocked to the ground. But I’ve al- ways got up again and won victo- ries and titles following the defeat… this defeat by Bayern will produce something good at the end, too.”
Meanwhile, Wenger has jumped to the defence of Hector Bellerín, insisting the defender does not warrant the level of abuse directed at him.
Bellerín will face Middlesbrough tonight despite fans turning on the Spanish defender in the 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace a week ago. The right-back’s form has nosedived this year, mirroring Arsenal’s decline.
But Wenger has no intention of taking Bellerín, 22, out of the firing line even though he has looked a shadow of himself since returning in December from a five-week ankle injury. “He has not come back to his level since he has been injured,” said the Arsenal manager. “You for- get that your job first is to defend and win challenges because you protect yourself a little bit.
“Then you realise you have to come back and I think now he is trying to focus again on what is important, to defend well, and after he can give us that extra bit.
“He is a guy who is genuinely Arsenal and wants to do well. He is ready to play with pain.”
Costly mistakes against the likes of Bournemouth and Manchester City have been highlighted but Wenger says any unrest on the ter- races will only hinder his players’ performances.
Wenger added: “The fans love the club. It’s a good period to be united and not divided. Historically, Arsenal has been about that.”
Wenger, himself, is not immune to the toxic atmosphere. “I focus on doing well what I can do,” he added. “I get in a bubble and just focus on what I think is important, not too much what people say.”
Middlesbrough manager Steve Agnew will go head-to-head with Wenger tonight admitting the Frenchman’s plight shows just how difficult Premier League manage- ment can be.
Wenger and his side will arrive at Middlesbrough fighting to keep themselves in the race for a top- four finish, having slipped 10 points adrift of Manchester City with two games in hand over the weekend.
Agnew, who desperately needs a first victory of his reign, said: “The game is results-driven, and he’s had 20 years at Arsenal. Of course, they’re in a difficult moment, but they have got top-quality players.”