Wenger says the German needs time to recover but will come back stronger.
It was a sorry night for Arsenal club record signing Mesut Ozil on Wednesday, as the £42.4m man missed a penalty in the 0-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.
Ozil had started the game brightly and won the spot kick after beating Bayern defender Jerome Boateng with a neat turn, but the resulting shot was tame and easily saved by Manuel Neuer.
The attacking midfielder’s morale noticeably dropped after the incident and there has been much made of the German’s dip in form in 2014.
However, manager Arsene Wenger has jumped to the defence of the 25-year-old and has compared this moment to when club legend Dennis Bergkamp missed a penalty in 1999 and was similarly vilified by the British press.
Wenger on Ozil penalty miss: “Is he over it now? Certainly not because 48 hours is a bit short to get over that.”
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) February 21, 2014
Wenger: “You have to let Ozil recover. I had examples- Bergkamp in ’99, he didn’t want to take 1 after. incidentally he gets a statue today”
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) February 21, 2014
Bergkamp of course went onto be considered one of the all-time greats for the Gunners, playing for 11 years between 1995 and 2006 and winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
Ozil has enjoyed success since arriving at the Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2013, scoring five goals and providing 12 assists in 32 matches – but clearly needs to regain his confidence.
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