Arsene Wenger has backed Mesut Ozil to respond to the criticism he faced after Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Manchester City and defended the playmaker's work rate off the ball.
Ozil, 28, was targeted by pundits and fans after what many saw as a lack of effort when pressing City's players in last week's defeat at the Etihad Stadium, with the Germany international also failing to impose himself on the game offensively.
"To be absolutely fair I did not hear or listen to all the criticism we got after the game," Wenger said at his news conference ahead of Monday's game against West Bromwich Albion. "But we have to accept that. We have to live with that.
"People analyse and have their opinion. And I think that's normal, and we have to respond. Mesut Ozil is an important player, he's a big player, and the big players always respond to criticism on the pitch."
Ozil's work ethic has often been questioned, in part because of his body language on the pitch, with some calling him a luxury player who does not do enough defensively.
However, Wenger rejected the notion that Ozil is given more leeway to relax.
"I don't give him any leeway when the team doesn't have possession, he has to do his job like everybody else," Wenger said. "And usually he does it well. Of course his main strength is when you have the ball.
"He suffers more when you don't have the ball. And at City, he suffered more than others because we had not the ball enough. But unfortunately if you want the ball you have to win it back."
Ozil has been a key part of Arsenal's high pressing game for much of the season, with he and Alexis Sanchez tied for second in the Premier League when it comes to winning the ball back in the final third of the pitch.
Wenger said the former Real Madrid player does not get enough credit for the work he does.
"He is a guy who works much harder than people think. His body language goes a bit against him sometimes," Wenger said. "And it's true, we are a team that wins the ball back high up very well, with Sanchez and Ozil. That means he does his part of the job very well.
"Where I agree we had a deficit at City is winning the ball back in the middle of the park. When we did not win the ball back immediately, we suffered after to win it back a little bit deeper. And that's certainly what people highlighted in our game."