Wenger defends Ozil: He's an exceptional player

Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger, has publicly backed midfielder Mesut Ozil, after he came under attack for his poor performance in Arsenal's 5-1 loss to Liverpool.

The Germany, who has not scored in his last eight Premier League matches and has failed to record an assist since December, was singled out after the Gunners' 5-1 loss to Liverpool on Saturday, having lost possession softly in the build-up to two of the Reds' goals in the opening 20 minutes.

However, Wenger has dismissed suggestions that Ozil was worse than any of his teammates against Liverpool, stressing that the 25-year-old is still finding his feet in English football.

"He works very hard to adapt to the Premier League. For me he's an exceptional player. He was like everybody else on Saturday [in the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool]. He works very hard in training to improve," he told reporters.