Leading German newspaper BILD have slammed Arsenal duo Mesut Ozil and Bernd Leno following Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton on Sunday.

The paper branded Leno and Ozil as the ‘decisive factor’ to the Gunners’ first loss in 22 games. It was ironically Southampton’s first home win since April and Arsenal were simply not good enough on the day.

BILD are notorious for not being the biggest fans of midfielder Ozil, and were criticised after his decision to retire from international football due to racism.

The Gelsenkirchen-born ball player featured for just 20 minutes of the match, coming on when the score was 2-2.

BILD Sport were far from impressed with Ozil’s performance, as he made his Premier League return after suffering a back injury.

Southampton’s late winner spawned from the midfielder losing possession, for which he was placed in the spotlight of the German media for.

“Even after losing the ball, Ozil made no effort to exert pressure to regain possession directly. Instead Southampton played out unchallenged and started the counterattack.”

It was a mistake by Ozil, but not one that couldn’t be fixed by the five players behind him. Leno was also heavily criticised for his positioning in the goal, and due to his mistake was called ‘the next German buck’ by BILD.

One person the paper didn’t tear apart was newly appointed Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Austrian had an impressive run in Germany, managing RB Leipzig and most notably Ingolstadt.

Praise for Hasenhuttl’s first win in England didn’t come without criticism for Ozil and Leno, with the paper leading with:

“Ralph Hasenhuttl ends Arsenal’s mega-streak as Ozil and Leno slip up.’

They later claimed that the Austrian should thank the German pair for the victory.

BILD translation by German football expert Rosie Tudball. Follow Rosie on Twitter @rosietudba11.