Ozil defends himself

Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has defended himself against criticism of his attitude and says his nonchalant body language can be misleading.

Ozil, 28, has been a peripheral figure as Arsenal's season has hit the skids, with Arsene Wenger's side slipping from the top four and being thrashed 10-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

He produced another poor display in Arsenal's 2-0 defeat at derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, but says people who say he does not care are wrong.

"Some people like me, some people don't," the Germany playmaker told the Goal website.

"Some people look at my body language and think I don't care. But that's me. I won't change my body language or my style of play drastically any more.

"Expectations on me were very high everywhere because I am a player who can make the difference. You have to deal with that.

"There will always be criticism and there will always be praise. But what matters is what the manager tells me. I have said that numerous times.

"But what I can't understand is when people say: 'Look, he does not push any more' or 'He does not run enough.' If you look at my numbers, you can see I run a lot and I show a good attitude."

Wenger defended Ozil on Thursday after it emerged the former Real Madrid star had kicked a door in anger after being selected for a drugs test following the defeat at Spurs.

"I am sorry that he kicked the door, but I can understand," the Arsenal manager told his weekly press conference.