Germany legend Lothar Matthaus accused Mesut Ozil of having no passion during the reigning World Cup champions’ surprise defeat to Mexico at the weekend.
Hirving Lozano’s goal was all that separated the two sides in a game where Germany struggled to find their usual flow.
The German press laid into Joachim Low’s side after the game – branding them “wimps”.
Winger Julian Brandt echoed these views after the game, telling talkSPORT Germany “defended like kids”.
But Matthaus, who won the World Cup with West Germany in 1990, singled out Ozil for having “no joy and no passion” – a trait that critics have claimed Ozil sometimes has for his club Arsenal as well.
In his column for German daily BILD, Matthaus said: “What displeases me is his [Ozil’s] body language is negative.
“I often have the feeling that on the pitch Ozil doesn’t feel comfortable in the DFB jersey, is not free – almost as if he does not want to play.
“There is no heart, no joy, no passion. After the latest impression, it is not excluded for me that he withdraws from the national team after the World Cup.
“For a year or two, Ozil has played at a level that does not justify the free ticket of Jogi Low.
“If things go well then Ozil plays well too. If things are going badly, he won’t perform well.”
Ozil and Germany have the opportunity to get their title defence back on track when they face Sweden in Sochi on Saturday evening – a game you can listen to live on talkSPORT.
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