Unai Emery says Mesut Ozil is ready for action and that Arsenal will lean on his quality in coming matches.
Despite being recalled to the matchday squad for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea the German was again left to watch from the bench as the Gunners ran out 2-0 winners.
While rumours about a possible Emirates departure continue to circulate, Emery insists that the club’s highest earner is still in his thoughts ahead of big games against Manchester United, Cardiff and Manchester City.
“Today he was OK to play but we decided not to play him,” the Spaniard explained in his post-game press conference.
“I spoke with him. I wanted him to be ready for the match today and for the next matches with the spirit like all the players in the team.
“Today I have the confidence with him if he played. I think he could do like we wanted. The next matches we are going to need every player and also his quality.”
Emery also reserved praise for Aaron Ramsey’s determination to make an impact at the Emirates despite the Welshman knowing he’s on his way out of the club in the summer.
The 28-year-old started his first Premier League game since the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool and was instrumental in leading the high press that overwhelmed the Blues in the first half.
“The circumstance with Ramsey we spoke about three months ago,” said Emery. “The decision is finished for him and the club. Now I am very, very happy with him because the last month his focus with us has been very clear. His future is very important for his family but for us it’s very important for him to be OK to play like he did today.
“Two weeks ago when we travelled to Blackpool in the FA Cup, when the match was more difficult for the atmosphere and the pitch is not good, he said to me ‘I want to play and help the team’. This is the spirit, to want to play.
“Today I didn’t need to ask him because I knew he wanted to play against Chelsea. He played with a good mentality and helped us with his quality.”
Ramsey’s professionalism is exemplary. I wish things had turned out differently for him with us. I hope Mesut stands up and is counted in the next few weeks too! COYG!
You are right about Ramsey, but I still doubt he could keep playing 90 mins for a whole season. The investment was probably just too much of a risk.
Fair point. Ramsey’s two best EPL seasons were 2013/14, when he managed 23 apps (incl. 3 subs) with 10G + 8A, & 2017/18, when he managed 24 apps (incl. 3 subs) with 7G + 8A. He’s never had more than 29 starts (2015/16) in an EPL season. Given the intensity he plays at, perhaps Ramsey is more at risk of injury when in his best form? Anyway. For me Ramsey should be remembered as a club legend not just because of his FA Cup winners, but because at a time when so many of our players were suffering season-ending, career-curtailing… Read more »
Well said
He’s an exemplary professional and those who’ve spent the last however many seasons cunting him off on here (and elsewhere) should really be ashamed of themselves. He could easily have his feet up already but he’s choosing to do what’s best for Arsenal.
Really sad he’s leaving tbh!
For 4.75m Wenger and his ‘scouts’ bought him for, he has been great over the years never mind injuries. Would have loved to have us try to keep him. Frankly Mslintat and company panicked on Ozil with Alexis leaving last January. They should have done the Ramsey extension back then instead of simply offering Ozil such a huge sum and kicking the Ramsey can down the road. It is akin to the Ox situation not too long back. Instead of forcing the Ox to put pen to paper, we should have played him against the hungry Gnabry who was itching… Read more »
Looking at the “By the Numbers” midfield stats against Chelsea…. I just don’t believe Ozil is capable of putting that type of performance in a midfield 3.
Cardiff don’t tend to have much possession, Cardiff at home could be a good game to play him in, also against Bate in the Europa league.
The three man midfield against Chelsea is the blueprint, hopefully we’ll see more of Aaron Ramsey in the first team until the end of the season.
I’m in two minds over this; on the one hand Ramsey is the best fit for the role in terms of being able to press, create and be a goal threat. But on the other, he has no long term future with us, so he’s not a long term option. So do we prioritise the present and exploit his availability, or do we start looking to the future now? It’s hard to say and I think Emery has been struggling with this question for most of the season.
Well, the balance between present and future also manifests in how Emery is constantly playing Guendouzi, more than he should in normal circumstances.
He’s probably forcing his growth this season, he wants to have him ready for nest season, instead of wasting the chance on a departing Ramsey.
But indeed Matteo has some merit and can give something back to the team. While also using the quality (and reliability) of Ramsey in occasions.
As long as Rambo is grafting in training, putting good performances in on the pitch, and he’s still on our payroll? Then I don’t think we can afford not to pick him, as much as I wouldn’t be against bringing someone like Smith-Rowe through for the reasons you mentioned, The reality is we’d have to suffer short term, and our impatient fan base would crucify Emery for making such a move, and a negative environment isn’t the best place for young players to grow. Also whilst I think top 4 is unlikely, there’s always a chance Emery will stumble upon… Read more »
DodgeZA……… you said it all
Rambo is not only professional but also a gunner that Mesut I fear will never be. And all this concerns about what the teammates might think of Oezil’s absence are over-hyped. They are not stupid and if Mesut really cares about them he would have swallowed bruised ego for not being a teacher’s pet anymore and would have helped them by simply doing his best wherever he is played on the field.
But at least, he sat on the bench for a start and I reckon he might get a chance against manu on Friday.
Özil is working hard to be back to his best after his injuries. What else must he do so that some label him a Gunner? He cheers for the team, he works, he shows no bruised ego (where does that come from? Oh, yes, the Mail). Talking teacher’s pet, check a bit Ramsey and Wilshere at Arsenal: injured and as soon as fit, back in the team no matter what even to shake the solid structure the team had gained without them. Short memories, guys… I think also that it’s dangerous to talk for the players… ask Torreira and Sead,… Read more »
This is Arseblog not Ozilarseblog. Another Ozil worshiper no matter what. His performances and attitude have been poor, he hasn’t deserved to play so far and the result over the weekend showed he won’t be missed if he leaves. I wish well to Ozil as a man but good riddance as a football player.
Örseblog?
As shortsighted as shortsightedness can ever be.
Last weeend against the hammers when we lost, all cried for creativity as Ozil was missing.
Now this weekend against Chelsea we win and ozil wont be missed.
We need Ozil and I trust Unai to use him wisely. We can’t afford another west ham performance this season.
May be Ozil is going to get found out against teams like United City or Spurs who hunt and know how to shut Ozil down, but there are 14-15 other teams who will sit back and Ozil will unlock those defenses.
How do you know his attitude has been poor? He and Emery have both said he’s working hard to get fit and back into the squad.
ozil is a talented player and i for one believe he should be in the team, behind torreira and another hard working defensive minded safe player like elneny (if he’s our best option to fulfill that role), or perhaps AMN. but logically unai sees the player every day, and we see his social media updates. it simply doesnt make sense if i’m the manager, my job is to get results, and i have the best player in the team, and for some reason i’m not playing him. there must be more to it.
Throughout the last 2 years something i’ve noticed with Ozil is that he probably has one hell of a PR team. I am not bashing him as if I were a public figure with that much income, I would do the same. It has made me take note of how important simple PR can be. Some things that made me notice is the Alexis vs Ozil who we going to sell saga, Alexis was throwing toys out of the cart and Ozil was super cool saying sweet PR things like i love the club, the city etc etc if the… Read more »
It was Bloggs who originally started his PR bollocks, yes Mesut has a good team behind him, so what? What difference does it make? Have you ever stopped to think that maybe he says those things because he means them? If you bothered to look at his media posts there’s a whole mix of stuff on there, and a lot of it is very nice and not only football related. The PR team isn’t responsible for his team mates and fans liking/loving him, that’s all down to the man himself.
Wow so defensive. I didn’t say it was a necessarily a bad thing. Just an observation that times are changing. I also said I’d do the same. You don’t need all the talent in the world to land yourself a good career and maybe the footballling world should move in that direction and maybe it shouldn’t. I do bother to look at most of his post because it’s not all about money, cars and parties which is nice. But how can you say for certain that the PR team has nothing to do with fans liking/loving him? That’s a big… Read more »
So the player who was the most creative in the Premier League and helped us win 3 Fac Cups cannot call himself a Gunner?
So sad that a plan of having a British core that seemed a successful one initially didn’t play out the way we had hoped. My heart bleeds to see such a great professional leave us like this. Those running our beloved club really need to get their acts together so we don’t find ourselves in this situation ever again. Ramsey remains a legend in my opinion anyday anytime
Would love to see Ozil play some part against Man Utd on Friday. Fingers crossed.
Yep, play the fringe players in the cups, so the keep some type of form.
Would you really like to see fringe players against Man Utd? This is still a major trophy
Is he using comparison to motivate the two different personalities of Rambo and Ozil?
It’s a comparison that’s been made a lot in the media analysis after the game and among supporters and it wouldn’t have been lost on Emery. The job Ramsey did on Jorginho is the antithesis of Ozil’s game and it’s no surprise the Welshman was more up to that particular task.
I think he’s clearly trying to get Ozil to add some of Ramsey’s characteristics to his game and, at the risk of reading too much into things, the point about the Blackpool game was telling as well.
Torriera worked his socks off on Saturday!….wish i could get hold of those socks and understand what determination and hardworking truly means
I couldn’t figure why this would be downvoted until I realized the phrase “and understand what determination and hardworking truly means” can be seen as a jab at Özil.
His PR is truly amazing. Maybe I’ve missed the bus cause the I only consume football and arsenal on TV and Arseblog.
Ramsey played well…. be a shame to see him go but that’s life & life goes on. Wish him well at Juventus!
I hope Ozil gets his place back in the team..
“Today I have the confidence with him if he played. I think he could do like we wanted.” Sometimes managers say something just to say something for the press and answer stupid questions. But this is interesting. Is Emery saying that Mesut didn´t have his confidence and didn´t do what was asked of him?
We should give him a couple of matches though to see him flourish again.
It looks like Ozil will probably be gone in the summer: he’s clearly not in Emery’s long-term plans. But while he’s still here it would be dumb not to use him. Uni doesn’t trust the German for the big games but we’ve seen Ozil be very effective against weaker opposition, especially at home. And at the moment we need every fit available pair of hands that we can find, especially creative ones. And Ozil is in the shop window right now: if he wants a big move this summer then he has to show that he’s still got it. That… Read more »
OMG someone hacked Fatgooner’s account, he seems to be making sense now.
The good vs the bad, it’s been a classic at Arsenal for some years. Throughout the years, we’ve had: Wilshere vs Özil ; Sanchez vs Özil ; now Ramsey vs Özil. Always in Özil’s disfavour.
Sanchez was a superstar to be fair. We really need to dig up a new superstar winger, badly.
Pray that Sven stays and delivers!
LOL
He’s gone. That’s a prayer not answered
Ozil is a unique player and I don’t think anyone but you could see it being a rivalry to the players you mentioned and certainly would never be in his disfavour
Please take note of what he said:
“The decision is finished for him and the club.”
I have no reason to believe Emery would want such a useful player, who is compatible with his style and ideas, leave for free. This is not on the coach, and most likely the club’s new hierarchy do not agree with his demand.
I hope Ozil starts the Man Utd game. I don’t know much but I think Ozil should be able to play the role Ramsey played against Chelsea with three tackling CMs behind him. Ramsey pressed but he didn’t win a tackle – that’s not to berate his performance btw.
I don’t watch much of that lot, so I don’t know how much of their play goes through Matic, but I’d have to think tracking him wouldn’t be too much of a strain as long as you’re not hoping to out-muscle him. If they don’t play through him much you’d think a lineup like v Chelsea would look good on paper whether it’s Ozil or Ramsey. The big miss is going to be Hector. Are we stuck going back to 3 at the back, thus changing the whole formula? I shudder to think of Rashford and Pogba attacking our right… Read more »
I really rate Ozil, however he does not fit the modern category of midfielder that the most successful clubs are playing. The last few years have seen ultra high press, athletic, strong all-rounder midfielders, ie Liverpool and City. He has a long contract and a high wage. No club will be willing to pay such a high wage, and he has no incentive to leave if he is receiving less money – that’s not necessarily greed, just the nature of contracts. So it seems highly unlikely he will leave. This leaves Emery with few options. Therefore, I can only assume… Read more »
Ah, yes, the ultra high press, athletic, strong David Silva and Luka Modric. The physicality of Coutinho. Not to mention the defensive commitment of Shaquiri.
In fairness, all of those players press and drop deep better than Ozil. So much so that all apart from Shaquiri moved to central midfield. Their games rely on hard work as much as they do on creativity and quality.
And of course, Shaquiri is actually a wide forward, and plays more like Sanchez or Mahrez than Ozil.
I’m not a fan of Ozil. And I always believed that no one man is bigger than the club. But to be fair to the player, it’s our style of play that requires pressing that doesn’t suit his. I can see that at least he is trying to put on a shift. (More consistency will be welcome) It’s just that in this era of PL football, almost all teams press, leaving creative only players like Ozil at a disadvantage, Our very own non-flying Dutchman is hardworking. But he too doesnt press that much right? No? But yet then he have… Read more »
Emery is playing with Özil head and i love it. There is no way he can play the press 90 minutes though, he needs time
Ozil is an enigma for any manager. He’s just not suited to the way we played Chelsea and I admire the guts it took to leave him out of the team. Think about how much possession we let them have and how deep Auba and Lacca were playing to prevent Chelsea from getting back into the game with both of them making tackles in our box. None of this suites Ozil and he most likely would had another peripheral performance. We needed all hands to the pump on Saturday. I love Ozil when he’s on his game, no one on… Read more »
I love Aaron Ramsey and players like him. He gets on with the job, he always did without moaning or the little digs that some players and managers with no integrity or self respect have. I think I’m ok with the decision because lets face it, he had 10 years to achieve what he wanted to achieve but his best days are behind him because his game is based on speed and quick movement and everyone eventually slows down with age. If his stats were as phenomenal as some of the other people that left us before then I would… Read more »
Emery: We’ll need Ozil to keep our benches warm
I think so. Ozil is on 350K a week. May as well use him rather than have him sit on the bench for that price. Midfield Diamond cannot be use in all context. Too many armchair tacticians are absolutist. We faced Chelsea who were happy to come at us and open space up in their back area. They also had a weak link in their over dependence on the Brazilian DM. This won’t be the case in every match. Most teams prefer to cede us possession and sit tight suffocating the lines. Remember, BHA, Soton and West Ham recently? We… Read more »