Lothar Matthaus has blasted Mesut Ozil for his part in Germany’s opening World Cup defeat to Mexico. Germany started their World Cup defence in the worst possible way, falling to a 1-0 loss against Mexico in Group F. No player impressed for Joachim Low’s side, but Ozil has typically born the brunt of the criticism. Germany legend Matthaus was particularly displeased with the Arsenal player’s body language, suggesting he might retire after the tournament.
“I emphasise: I have no problem at all that Ozil does not sing along with the anthem. This is up to each player, whether he has German, Turkish or African roots,” Matthaus told reporters. Lothar Matthaus has blasted Mesut Ozil for his part in Germany’s opening World Cup defeat to Mexico. Germany started their World Cup defence in the worst possible way, falling to a 1-0 loss against Mexico in Group F. No player impressed for Joachim Low’s side, but Ozil has typically born the brunt of the criticism.
Germany legend Matthaus was particularly displeased with the Arsenal player’s body language, suggesting he might retire after the tournament. “I emphasise: I have no problem at all that Ozil 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 have waved into the audience, giving the fans a sign. Only Ozil didn’t. “This makes it obvious to me 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 open to the fans. What displeases me is that 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 DFB jersey, is not free, almost as if he does not want to play. There is no heart, no joy, no passion. I think he will retire from the national team after the World Cup.”