Lothar Matthaus: "Mesut Özil deserves to lose his place in Germany's World Cup squad"

Germany legend Lothar Matthaus believes that Arsenal star Mesut Ozil deserves to lose his place in the national side for the World Cup to Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos.

Matthaus not only made 150 appearances for Germany but also captained the side to victory at Italia ’90 and he is adamant that current coach Joachim Low should pick Kroos ahead of £42.4 million man Ozil, whose form has dipped dramatically of late.

“If Ozil is at his best, he can help, but the recent performances have raised doubts.

“If I compare him to those in Bayern’s midfield, I think I’d rather have someone like Toni Kroos in the side than Ozil,” he declared.

Ozil’s stuttering performances reached a new low in the Champions League round-of-16 tie against Bayern which culminated in a missed penalty while his counterpart Kroos put in an outstanding display and scored a fine goal via an emphatic finish as the Bundesliga outfit emerged with a 2-0 victory.

Competition in Low’s midfield ranks is fierce as the Germans boast an array of attacking talent and Matthaus has also questioned the former Real Madrid midfielder’s mentality.

“The leading role doesn’t suit Ozil, and you don’t do him any favours expecting him to lead a team. He doesn’t have the personality to want to be dominant,” he said.

Both players have been called up to Germany’s provisional squad for the friendly against Chile and it will be intriguing to see how Low, whose side are amongst the favourites for the showpiece in Brazil, chooses to utilise the pair.