Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he was pleased with Mesut Ozil's performance against Aston Villa.
The Germany international came under heavy fire after failing to make an impact against Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund but was in top form at Villa Park as he opened the scoring and turned provider minutes later.
"I was very pleased he [Ozil] got the goal as quickly as possible," Wenger said after the game.
"It's not your [the media's] fault, I didn't say that it was your fault, I just said knowing you the media how well you find out what we miss. It was important for him to score."
The 25-year-old looked completely out of sorts in the Champions League game on Tuesday but Wenger says he never considered keeping him out of the starting eleven.
"No, not really, no. You consider it always, I have many offensive players and you always look to find the right balance and it's not always easy because I gave Sanchez a rest as he played many games," added the Frenchman.
"We have plenty of experienced players who are not playing at the moment and are top quality.
"But I felt as well that it was at the point where you have to show him that confidence is there. He showed as well that he can respond when he's under scrutiny.
"[He prefers to play] in the middle. But I can find you 10 more players in my squad who want to play in the middle."
