Unai Emery warns Mesut Ozil to return to Arsenal with right attitude after World Cup heartache
Germany midfielder is licking his wounds after criticism of his displays in Russia - but is told to sharpen up quickly
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MESUT OZIL has been told to get over his World Cup agony by the time he returns to Arsenal duty later this month.
The £350,000-a-week German playmaker is currently licking his wounds after being savaged for his limp performances in Russia.
Ozil, 29, was bitterly criticised after being photographed with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the World Cup run-up.
And his failure to make an impact in Germany’s shock defeats to Mexico and South Korea have led to him considering his international future after the defending champions were knocked out in the group stage.
Ozil said he “will need time to get over this,” in the immediate aftermath of Germany’s early exit and claimed: “My world has turned upside down.”
But new Arsenal boss Unai Emery insists there is no time for his club’s highest-paid star to feel sorry for himself.
Emery said: “The German national team didn’t get the results they wanted but today Mesut is on holiday and I want him to relax so he can start with a good mentality when he comes back to us.
“I want him to be tranquil and calm when he comes back and ready to start hard.
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“I want to work with him in a new way and with an ambition to help use his quality to get better with the team.
“Mesut is a very important player for me and we want to help him to be fine with us.
"But last season was a difficult time for everyone, not only for Mesut.
“The team finished sixth in the Premier League and that is not the position we want.
“So now we will have a new way for all the players because I want a team with confidence, personality, intensity and aggression, to be the protagonists in every match.”
Former boss Arsene Wenger was often accused of indulging Ozil and giving him an easy ride when he went missing in important games.
Wenger said recently: “Ozil is a guy who needs support, he doesn’t need controversy.”
In recent seasons the player has been allowed to miss Arsenal’s first few games of the season while recovering from his summer exertions with the national team.
But Emery has made it clear he expects Ozil to be fit and ready for the big Premier League kick-off against champions Manchester City on August 12.
Arsenal returned to training last week ahead of a pre-season trip to Singapore, with their World Cup players due to join the group on their return.
Ozil has now had two weeks off since Germany’s World Cup KO and Emery said: “Every player will have between three and four weeks’ holiday.
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“All the big clubs have the same problems because the national teams demand more players and it’s not easy for the big clubs to work without their important players every day.
“At the moment we are working with 22 players and it’s important for everyone to have holidays because the season will be very hard and very long.
“We need all the players to come back full of energy for the start of the season, so many players will go to Singapore and others will start when they return at the end of the month.”
