Mesut Ozil won’t be in the Arsenal squad for tomorrow night’s game against Bayern Munich despite returning to training today.
The German missed the trip to Anfield on Saturday due to illness, and he won’t be considered for the second leg against the German champions.
Asked if he would be available tomorrow night, Wenger said, “He’s not in the squad. He has only had one session.
“He was out all last week sick, so I don’t think he’s ready physically to be in the squad. He should be ok for the weekend [FA Cup v Lincoln].”
There don’t appear to be any other complications after the trip to Anfield, and the manager remained guarded over whether or not Alexis Sanchez would start, saying he hadn’t yet selected his team.
Wenger denied stories of a training ground bust-up (story to follow), saying that newspaper reports were ‘completely false’.
He is looking for his team to make an impact in the game though, saying, “We have of course to go for it, attack and go forward with determination and flow and try to score goals.”
I’m shocked by what Wright said about Mesut faking his illness: it is insulting the player and insulting the club accepting this. This guy, no matte what he did when on the pitch, should truly stop putting discredit on his club just for the sake of earning his huge pundit’s salary if he is supposed to still respect it!
If you think Wright is trashing Arsenal or Ozil for a buck then you don’t know Ian Wright and what Arsenal means to him. If you want to believe that Ozil isn’t really ill, that’s your prerogative, but suggesting someone else is being disingenuous because they don’t believe what you do is childish.
I don’t think Ozil is thanking it but equally it’s unfair to suggest Wright is just stirring shit up for a payday!
I don’t like to think Wrighty is just stirring for a payday either, but if you look at the media right now, they are all on us. All up on Wenger, Ozil and Sanchez contracts because most of us fans are pissed and they are just building on that and stocking the rage. It’s all for a buck though and that’s part of what Wright is doing whether intentionally or not Wright’s job is to comment on these issues and his voice carries more water considering who he is to us. And I really don’t think it was necessary for… Read more »
Ozil, having a good time to play bowling at night and then have a flu the day after, needless to say he got a permit to spend holiday in turkey a week before, what a joke.
No bust up… Wenger always protects his players from the press hoards.
I don’t remember any other player in my time watching football that has been out with ‘illness’ more than Mesut Ozil. This season alone he has missed about five games from being sick, be that a cold. flu or otherwise. The average person wouldn’t get that sick that frequently, Gunnerblog aside. Something seems more fishy about this. Perhaps he’s been dropped but Wenger will not openly state it, or else, like with Sanchez, there has been a bust off of sorts and the player is throwing a strop, which I think seems more likely.
He’s soft. I imagine him waking up with a little headache or a bit of a cold and just staying in bed all day. I don’t want to see him play for us anymore. I’d be very happy to bench him for the rest of the season and use him as a squad player, and sell him on the cheap at the end of the season to psg or wtv foreign morons that would buy him. Time to stop playing 4-2-3-1. We need 3 men in midfield, I don’t care who, I don’t care how, but I’m sick of us… Read more »
Ozil, for all his great qualities, has to be one of the softest players around. But if we are going to sell him then you need to show case him to drive up the value. He seems like the type of player to miss a game because of a hang-nail and, sadly, we have way too many similar players. Kos turns his back on shots all the time, Walcott jumps away from tackles, Giroud is almost always flicking his hand and rolling around the ground….then we bought a real tough player for once (Xhaka), but found out he can’t tackle…… Read more »
Seems that there are conspiracy theorists everywhere these days…
I think same,but Mr Wenger should just resign or retire at the end of the season before he kills all arsenal fans
.
Oh please get off your high horse and don’t label me by anything if you don’t know me. If you read the comments on this site regularly, you’d know that I don’t reach quick emotional conclusions and I always explain my points thoroughly and support it with actual facts not just bs. There’s no one that loves Ozil as much as I did and still kinda do, I named my pet after him just this season (2 days before his hatrick against ludagarets, what are the odds!!). I actually don’t think it’s his fault that Wenger didn’t drop him in… Read more »
I named my cat after Nigel Winterburn, she’s a girl so answers to Winnie. Her sister was called Dixie after Lee but she died young …
Ozil is a little bitch
I’ve had three colds since last July and two of them have lasted more than a week and I don’t consider myself sickly. It’s not that unusual, surely?
I think the timing was odd. He was well enough to go bowling with the squad (and all smiles in the pictures) but couldn’t play the next day?
He didn’t look particularly well in the picture, he’s not been right since January.
Never know. Ive been sick a lot more than usual this winter. 3 times Ive had to be away from work just since November. And each of those periods have taken what seems like an eternity to go away completely.
So, it happens. I guess.
Yes, because it’s medically impossible for a human being to get the flu or a similar illness more than once year.
4-3-3 Xhaka Ramsey Ox pivot winner
Come On!
Not sure why this has so many dislikes, what are the alternatives? We surely can’t go back to 4-2-3-1 now, after the last couple of games. The 4-3-3 will help us press and is more ideal for counter attacks, Ox and Ramsey/Iwobi would have to be disciplined though. Would be tempted to swap out Xhaka for Elneny though, partly due to form but also Elneny is that much more mobile.
actually, Elneny might still be injured…
If the newspaper reports are false then leaving Sanchez on the bench was a far more ridiculous decision. Having said that I’d expect Wenger to say they’re false even if they’re not.
I think we really need to start the front 3 as Perez – Giroud – Welbz. Lets play Sanchez in Ozil’s role. Then we can have a Xhaka and Ox/Rambo midfield with Sanchez actually dropping in and supporting them when we don’t have the ball.
Iwobi should be rested, the kid needs that for his development. No spot for Theo in the 11 as he hasn’t produced enough for me in recent weeks.
As a manager who is famed for looking after young players why on earth is he running Iwobi into the ground?
Like how Giroud and Griezmann starred for France! Sanchez would be great in that role especially when you consider how much he tracks back.
#Change, situation and needed result…Agreed without opening..But Mr.21yrs won’t line up, same line striker, Iwobi & Walcott with ox, Xhaka n Francisco dFM..?
Not sure Sanchez and his playing style would suit a role that needs to be distributing the ball. We would certainly generate shots but not sure about possession
Not looking forward to that moment when you are waiting for the line ups to be announced and the first names you see are Coquelin and Iwobi…
Nothing about the smuggest quote from that press conference?
“I think I have built this club. I want it to be successful so I want to take a bit of time before making a decision.”
So we have a manager who is in control of his status no matter the results, This club is going nowhere…
That’s the problem – he mistakenly thinks he built the club, and therefore he can do what he likes.
Maybe he is forgetting the 10 league titles the club won before Arsene Wenger turned up.
He is forgetting that in the decade before he arrived, we won 2 league titles, a European trophy, 2 league cups, and an FA cup.
Why is talking like he dragged us out of the gutter?
Raphael HonigsteinVerified account @honigstein 1h1 hour ago
To be fair to Wenger, the German word he used was “aufgebaut”. Can be translated as “built” but also as “built up” (which he meant, I think)
He tries to justify his decision to bench Sanchez with “tactics”. But let’s try and remember, when was the last time Arsene had tactics at all?
Hey Jack, I have been looking for the words, and hey presto, you said it, succinctly.
Well done.
why the fuck is Wenger starting iwobi in every match. he still needs more development and sub role would suit him. it doesn’t need to be a manager to know this.
Cause he is as persistent as they get, He’s so into proving people wrong about Iwobi, no matter the results or the performances. We have seen this countless times when he chose to start with not good enough players (Denilson, for example, 96 PL appearances!) or counting on players who everyone beside him knows that they just can’t stay fit (Diaby, Cazorla this season…).
Been thinking the same but what other options does he really have if we are to have any chance of keeping the ball? Maybe Back 4 Xhaka-AML-Ox Lucas-Welbeck-Alexis But would be a huge risk to start AML. Maybe Ramsey if he is fit but then we would only have Xhaka in midfield who is good at passing and keeping the ball. Ox is up and down. I think Iwobis ability on the ball is the main reason he is in the starting eleven. Coquelin is so out of form that should barely make the bench. If wenger subs you off… Read more »
It feels more and more like there is a Year Zero approaching. Heads might not quite roll but with Wenger moving on we might be seeing a few old faces move along as well.
Both Özil & Sanchez will not be playing. Who starts then? Probably Giroud upfront with Welbz & Ox on the flanks. Iwobi again in No 10.
Midfield Xhaka & Ramsey (only change)
Back 4 same. Gk is Ospina.
Not sure what to make of that…but the boys must have a go!
Please dont bring Sanchez in regardless of the results…Perez, Walcott probably.
Hoping for Lucas on the right or as a second striker behind Giroud.
I’d either go with Welback–Sanchez–Walcott or Sanchez–Perez–Welbeck up top, Ox and Ramsey/Iwobi at CM and Xhaka at DM, 4-3-3. We can’t just sit back like last time, like against Chelsea and Pool and City, we need to get in their faces and fight for the ball in midfield! We also need to get the ball out to the flanks quickly to beat their press and make use of our pace, the 4-2-3-1 isn’t great for either of those
It’s not the getting at them that worries me – it’s what happens when they get the ball back and get at us at twice the pace. ?
That’s when we clatter them and take the smart fouls when we have to, instead of letting them mug us off like the muggiest of mugs (cf. Coqulein on Hazard, 4th Feb 2017)
Of course, if we have the ability to press them properly we could probably stop most of their potential counters fair and square. Big if, of course
Can’t we forfeit it?
We need all week to prepare for mighty Lincoln in my opinion.
Where’s your fight? These are opportunties rather than things to dread. Damage has already been done so its all upside. May as well go for it and see what we can do (or not) What I’d like to see is Wenger try something different for a change. Lucas starting rather than Walcott again. Also tweak the midfield relationships a bit. If the mediocre Liverpool side that won the CL came out second half with the same attitude that they could not come back from 3 nil down first half, they would have come out with nought. If our team had… Read more »
Would be kinda fun if Wenger replied ” fake news!” When asked one of these questions.
We have to tweak the relationships/positioning in midfield to get anything. As I have mentioned before, either of Ox or Coquelin next to Granit must not stay too flat with the Swiss. Granit needs to work out a relationship as an advance apex of a triangle in concert with the two Cbacks. This will allow the fullbacks to cover slightly wider (we were far too narrow against Liverpool) The fullbacks of course will also need to have a bit more support from both wide men which was also a problem against Liverpool. I think if Ox partners Granit, then maybe… Read more »
Sanchez hatrick and a Giroud header late on!
I can feel it