Wenger: Ozil not special case when it comes to dirty work

Mesut Ozil's defensive work rate is under the spotlight following two miserable performances, but Arsene Wenger is adamant the German attacking midfielder isn't exempt from winning back the ball.

On Friday, Wenger responded to the widespread criticism of Ozil, who is Public Enemy No. 1 at the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal's 2-1 defeats to Everton and Manchester City. The Frenchman insisted Ozil is held accountable just like any other Gunner and pointed to how the product of FC Schalke 04 struggles when his club isn't in possession.

"I don't give him any leeway when the team doesn't have possession," Wenger said, according to the Guardian's Amy Lawrence. "He has to do his job like everybody else and usually he does it well. Mesut Ozil is an important player, a big player, and the big players always respond to criticism on the pitch.

"His main strength is when we have the ball and he suffers more when we don't have it. At City, he suffered more than others because we didn't have enough of the ball. Unfortunately, if you want to have the ball, you have to win it back.

"We have suffered a little bit physically in the last two games. We were twice 1-0 up and started the game well. I felt we have given a lot in Europe, in the Premier League. We were a bit less fresh mentally to absorb the pressure of two big away games having just come back from Europe."

As the Guardian's Martin Laurence illustrated Wednesday, a lot of the criticism surrounding Ozil is unfair. The 28-year-old is pulling his weight defensively, ranking second in the Premier League when it comes to winning possession in the final third. Only Eden Hazard can claim to have done so on more times.

(Courtesy: the Guardian/WhoScored.com)

Of course, adding fuel to the fire is the speculation surrounding Ozil's future. He reportedly wants to be among the Premier League's top earners if he is to sign a contract extension with Arsenal, a sentiment also expressed by Alexis Sanchez, whose phenomenal work rate is a sharp contrast to the German's lackadaisical attitude.