Gnabry - Ozil is a strong person

Serge Gnabry has described Mesut Ozil as a "strong person" and says he has learned a lot from his compatriot since he signed for the Club.

Ozil missed a penalty against Bayern Munich and has endured some criticism in recent weeks.

But Gnabry insists Ozil should not be blamed for the defeat to Bayern and has backed the playmaker to prove his critics wrong.

"He's a brilliant player," Gnabry said. "He showed it when he was at Real Madrid and he showed it when he was the World Cup.

"He's a big part of our team, he helps the team create something up front and he's just a very special player. He's a strong person. Obviously you are disappointed when you miss a penalty in such an important game but that's football.

"Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win but we're a team and we win together. It's not just down to Mesut that we lost that game. We stick together and work towards the next game - I hope we can turn it around in the second game.

"I've picked up a lot of things from him. He's a brilliant offensive player. I'm trying to watch his game and trying to adapt to what he does in a game. He's just a brilliant player and it's nice to have him in and around the team."

Gnabry missed a spot-kick in the Capital One Cup shoot-out against West Bromwich Albion earlier in the season. Arsenal came out on top that night, but the 18-year-old says the feeling of missing a penalty is still the same.

"It's a very lonely place," he said. "You feel like you've let your team down and missed the opportunity to score or put your team ahead. That's football though, sometimes there's a penalty and you miss it. You just need to stay strong and focused."