'Ozil needs to buck his ideas up' - Wright

Mesut Ozil ‘needs to buck his ideas up’ in the opinion of Arsenal legend Ian Wright, with the Germany international currently ‘letting down fans who continue to fight his corner’.

The World Cup winner has earned plenty of plaudits this season, with his creative talents allowing him to make match-altering contributions when in the right frame of mind.

He can, however, be virtually anonymous if contained by clued up opponents and put in as many forgettable displays as he does memorable ones.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, Ozil’s contribution was minimal during their 2-1 defeat to fellow Premier League title hopefuls Manchester City on Sunday.

Wright believes he needs to raise his game considerably next time out against West Brom on Boxing Day, with a number of other under-performing stars also owing manager Arsene Wenger and an expectant fan base a markedly improved performance.

He wrote in a column for The Sun: “Mesut Ozil in particular has come in for tons of stick — and there has got to be a reaction from him to that.

"We all know the quality he’s got, so there can be no excuse for the performance he served up at the Etihad.

"I’m not interested in all the stuff being chucked around about how he was walking. That’s pretty much irrelevant.

"He does need to start delivering more than he is right now, though, because frankly he is letting down all those fans who continue to fight his corner.

"But while Ozil needs to buck his ideas up, he’s far from the only one. The problem for Arsenal is a collective one, not individual.

"And they need to stick together like never before now — there is no hiding place after the City defeat.”

Ozil has netted nine times for Arsenal in all competitions this season, but has offered little to the cause during back-to-back defeats against Everton and City.

Speculation regarding his future, as contract talks rumble on, is also proving to be an unwelcome distraction, with performances on the field being overshadowed by events off it.