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Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi has said he criticises Mesut Ozil to help get the best out his teammate. Ozil, 28, has been in impressive form this season and his hat trick in Arsenal's 6-0 Champions League win over Ludogorets Razgrad on Wednesday too his goal-scoring tally to six for 2016-17. Mustafi said of his Germany colleague in the London Evening Standard: "Sometimes I have to criticise him as well because that's how football is. "Everyone makes mistakes and we have to be professional with it. Sometimes we criticise ourselves the most, it's not the people out there that criticise us, it's ourselves who criticise us the most. "Because you want to play well, you want to win games, you don't want to make mistakes. If you make one you are the first one who gets angry. But that's football, you cannot be without errors. But he's a fantastic player. I'm happy for him. He can make things happen in the final third. He sees runners. "He is a quality player and if you have that up front -- and it is not only him because Lucas Perez has come in and done a great job -- and give him the ball in the final third in front of the goalkeeper, you can be sure he is going to score." Meanwhile, Mustafi has said Arsenal are developing the adaptability required to chase major honours this season. He hailed the Gunners' tactical nous during an 11-match unbeaten stretch that hit new heights in Wednesday's win over Ludogorets . "It's about having identity, and we are doing very well reading the game," Mustafi said. "Sometimes it's important to go and win the ball in the final third but sometimes it's about staying back, being compact and trying to win the ball in the middle of the pitch. "That's what makes big teams win titles, reading the game well. So it's not only about us simply playing our game. "Sometimes if you see that it doesn't work you have to change it and you have to be able to change your style of play. "And we're doing that well, because sometimes we're just playing always in the half of the opponent, and sometimes we'll just drop and play counter-attack." Ozil's first ever hat trick edged Arsenal ever closer to a late November showdown with Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates to decide who will top Group A. Wenger's men now host Middlesbrough on Saturday seeking a seventh consecutive Premier League win, with Mustafi saying the Gunners only have eyes for yet more victories. "It was an important game for us on Wednesday because when you keep winning games, you have to stay up there and keep going," Mustafi said. "It is not about winning six games, losing one, winning four, losing one. It is about continuing to win games. "This was one more game to show how hungry we are, how much confidence we have in the dressing room." Information from the Press Association was used in this report.
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