The FC crew look back on the 2018 World Cup and identify four stars who either improved their stock in Russia or saw it take a hit with their play. Raf Honigstein explains why a photo of Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is causing problems for Germany. ESPN FC's Ale Moreno assesses how Arsenal will line up with attacking threats of Ozil, Mkhitaryan, Lacazette and newly acquired Aubameyang.
Mesut Ozil has defended his controversial photo with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying it wasn't about politics but about respecting the office of the presidency.
Ozil has been heavily criticised in Germany for his meeting with Erdogan in May, when he and Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan posed for a photo with the Turkish president during his visit to London.
The past couple of weeks have given me time to reflect, and time to think over the events of the last few months. Consequently, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what has happened. pic.twitter.com/WpWrlHxx74
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018
Both Ozil and Gundogan have Turkish roots, but the German football federation has said the meeting was ill-advised. Ozil's performances at the World Cup were also heavily scrutinised in wake of the controversy, with Germany going out in the group stage.
The Arsenal midfielder finally broke his silence on the issue on Sunday by posting a statement on social media insisting that he had done nothing wrong.
"I'm aware that the picture of us caused a huge response in German media, and whilst some people may accuse me of lying or being deceitful, the picture we took had no political intensions," Ozil wrote. "For me, having a picture with President Erdogan wasn't about politics or elections, it was about me respecting the highest office of my family's country."
The statement was posted as Arsenal were preparing to fly to Singapore for a preseason tour, with Ozil having joined up with the squad just in time for the trip following his post-World Cup holiday.
Earlier this month, the head of the German football federation, Reinhard Grindel, had said Ozil owed fans an explanation for his actions when he returned from holiday.
Ozil said "the past couple of weeks have given me time to reflect" on the situation -- adding that having been born in Germany to a Turkish family means that "I have two hearts, one German and one Turkish."
And he explained that his mother taught him as a child to "never forget where I came from."
"Although the German media have portrayed something different, the truth is that not meeting with the President would have been disrespecting the roots of my ancestors, who I know would be proud of where I am today," his statement said. "For me it didn't matter who was President, it mattered that it was the President.
"Having respect for political office is a view that I'm sure both the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May share when they too hosted Erdogan in London. Whether it had been the Turkish or the German President, my actions would have been no different."
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Source: espn.co.uk