The Arsenal playmaker was ineffective as the defending champions crashed out (Picture: Getty)

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has criticised Mesut Ozil’s performances during the World Cup and says the Germany star ‘played with the handbrake on’.

Ozil struggled to affect all three of Die Mannschaft’s World Cup matches as they surprisingly exited the competition at the group stage, while he was criticised for meeting Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to the tournament.

Wenger feels that controversy affected Ozil’s performances in Russia and was disappointed with how little he was able to show his playmaking talents.

Mexico and Sweden progressed to the last 16 of the World Cup instead of Germany (Getty)

Speaking to BeIN Sports, Wenger explained: ‘I know Ozil well, he is a fantastic, exceptional footballer but him and [Ilkay] Gundogan suffered from what happened before the World Cup.




‘They have been vilified in Germany. Ozil is a guy who needs support, he doesn’t need controversy.

‘When I watched him play, I could feel that there were situations in the game where he could have moved forward, progressed more vertically. But he played safely.

‘I always was thinking come on, that’s not the real Ozil I know, the guy who can kill.

Wenger says Ozil is a player that requires support, but he did not get that from Germany (Getty)

‘He did play alright, but I think he didn’t play with the complete freedom, he played a little bit with the handbrake on at this World Cup.’

After the World Cup, Germany team manager Olivier Bierhoff claimed Ozil’s decision to meet with Erdogan and not address the issue afterwards affected the squad and even claimed he regretted calling up the Arsenal man to the World Cup squad.