Arsene Wenger has defended club-record signing Mesut Ozil and insists that Arsenal fans should support the struggling German playmaker.
Ozil was criticised in the wake of the Gunners' 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with the former Real Madrid man yet to register a goal or assist this season.
But Wenger believes that it would be unfair to scapegoat the midfielder and is confident that he and the entire Arsenal squad will begin to improve and hit peak form in later months after a gruelling World Cup.
"Fans need to be patient. You want your best players in every game but you have to be united and go through hard periods," said the Frenchman to the media ahead of Saturday's trip to Aston Villa.
"Why should Ozil be a scapegoat? For what? We lost one game since the beginning of April. We had very difficult games against teams like Besiktas.
"Everybody judges players on one game but football is played with many ups and downs.
"The criticism is unfair because it's post-World Cup. It takes a few months for them to get back to their best."
Wenger also confirmed that Calum Chambers and Mathieu Flamini are fit for the trip to Villa Park, while Jack Wilshere has shaken off a knock picked up against Dortmund, though Mathieu Debuchy's injury status has yet to be fully determined.
"We'll know about Debuchy tonight after his examination whether he'll need surgery," revealed Wenger. "If he doesn't need surgery, it'll be six weeks. If he does need surgery, it will be three months."
goal.com
Ozil was criticised in the wake of the Gunners' 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with the former Real Madrid man yet to register a goal or assist this season.
But Wenger believes that it would be unfair to scapegoat the midfielder and is confident that he and the entire Arsenal squad will begin to improve and hit peak form in later months after a gruelling World Cup.
"Fans need to be patient. You want your best players in every game but you have to be united and go through hard periods," said the Frenchman to the media ahead of Saturday's trip to Aston Villa.
"Why should Ozil be a scapegoat? For what? We lost one game since the beginning of April. We had very difficult games against teams like Besiktas.
"Everybody judges players on one game but football is played with many ups and downs.
"The criticism is unfair because it's post-World Cup. It takes a few months for them to get back to their best."
Wenger also confirmed that Calum Chambers and Mathieu Flamini are fit for the trip to Villa Park, while Jack Wilshere has shaken off a knock picked up against Dortmund, though Mathieu Debuchy's injury status has yet to be fully determined.
"We'll know about Debuchy tonight after his examination whether he'll need surgery," revealed Wenger. "If he doesn't need surgery, it'll be six weeks. If he does need surgery, it will be three months."
goal.com
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