‘He works much harder than people think’ – Arsene Wenger defends under-fire Arsenal star Mesut Ozil

Arsene Wenger has leapt to the defence of Mesut Ozil following criticism of the midfielder's work rate.

The German midfielder came under-fire after producing a lacklustre display in Arsenal's 2-1 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday.

Ozil has been accused of being lazy, with footage of him walking around the pitch angering fans, and his mentality in big games has been questioned.

But Wenger has given his backing to the 28-year-old, labelling him a 'big player' and insisting he is committed to the team.

"To be absolutely fair I did not hear or listen to all the criticism we got after the game; but we have to accept that and live with that," said Wenger.

"People analyse and have their opinion, it's normal and we have to respond.

"Mesut Ozil is a big player, and the big players always respond to criticism on the pitch.

"I don't give him any leeway when the team doesn't have possession. He has to do his job like anyone else.

"His main strengths are when we have the ball, and he suffers more when we don't have the ball.

"He suffered more at City because we didn't have enough of the ball. But unfortunately if you want the ball you have to win it back.

"He is a guy who works much harder than people think, his body language goes against him at times.

"It's true we do tend to win the ball back high up the pitch, but where we had a deficit at City was winning the ball in the middle of the pitch."

Wenger confirmed Arsenal will train on Christmas Day, admitting that he will be unable to stop thinking about football despite any festivities.

"We will practice and that night we go to the hotel to prepare," said Wenger of Arsenal's Christmas Day plans.

"Like every manager I suffer when we don't win the game. In your mind you have the next game, and we know it's a game of big importance, so we cannot simply switch off, it's impossible."