Arsenal take on Standard Liege at the Emirates this evening in the second of our group games in the Europa League.
Here are tonight’s official line-ups.
Arsenal: Martinez, Bellerin (c), Mustafi, Holding, Tierney, Willock, Torreira, Ceballos, Maitland-Niles, Martinelli, Nelson
Subs: Leno, Chambers, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Aubameyang, Pepe
Standard Liege: Savic, Vanheudsen, Cimirot, Emond, Boljevic, Lestienne, Gavory, Vojvoda, Bastien, Laifis, Mpoku
Subs: Bodart, Goreux, Lavalee, Carcela, Amallah, Fai, Avenatti
Why not use Ozil here ffs
Because he is not good enough. I really like this line up. AMN on trial as Right wing? Really excited to see that.
I think he is off on loan shortly?
He doesn’t seem to have a future here unless he outlasts Emery is my point so a loan in Jan?
Not good enough? A pity you haven’t watched his latest appearances for your club.
The one in 10 he turned up in? Ozil at his best is one of the best in the league. Unfortunately his best is a rarity. Saying that, I would have played him tonight, give him a fair chance and some experience in the team.
His best is a rarity because he’s poorly managed. 11 players need 11 approaches. They’re individuals and you either set up your team for a player like Özil or you don’t. I don’t mind Emery’s decisions but I dislike his tedious, painful brand of football and his results.
the one in 10 that he was allowed to play as an attacker rather than a defensive midfielder?
I saw them. Average at best. People watch with lenses. He had one good season for us.
If you truly believe AMN should play RW ahead of Ozil you’re mad.
You’re actually a moron?
The last time Arsenal played pleasing football he was a no-brainer in the line-up.
No, he wasn’t in the last Europa League game.
He’ll bolster someone’s CL side. I hope he’ll still be used in England.
I know what you mean but tbh these boys are the future and I’m much more interested to see what they can do.
Should at least be on the bench though.
Ceballos… the future??? OK.
Why not?
Lol ok how about every single other attacking player in the line up apart from Ceballos
I know that a lot of people are sick of the ozil saga and dont want to talk about that anymore but this is just insane what is happening. Why the fuck the guy was in the group of five captain if he never play ? Why don t they tell us what is going on ?
This is a perfect game for him. For me he is awesome for our young players, he can help them shine so much.
Totally agree…..if he doesn’t play this weekend then we need a Stewards enquiry?
Maybe he has another headache or something. Guys seemingly always ill.
I saw in the news that a fellow pleaded guilty to attempting to steal watches from Ozil. Crossed my mind that he may have had to give evidence either in person or virtually at court date. Probably I’m clutching at straws since that explanation would put Kolasinac out too.
I think we all just have to come to terms with the fact that Ozil’s days at The Emirates are numbered…as long as Emery remains the coach.
And I suspect the guys abpve are with Emery on this.
They wanted his wages off the bill in summer; I see no reason for a change of heart.
If there are no takers, Ozil will outlive Emery here because I expect him to be gone at the end of the season, top 4 or not.
Arsenal needs a real protagonist not a safety-first, Anfield dreading loser.
maybe he has a headache
I feel more than Emery, management wants Ozil to leave. They want to make sure he feels suffocated and hands in transfer request in Jan. His salary might be the main problem than on filed performance.
Not a big fan of Ozil but this will be really sad to part ways like this.
Whether you like him or not, he deserves better send off.
Agreed. I’m not his biggest fan but he deserves some opportunities in a team that is misfiring. Even if it’s to rest other players. I would be starting him tonight. If he performed in Europa league games, he would be useful off the bench in a premier league game
Whether it’s Emery or the owners, the method seems to be not just to freeze Ozil out, but to humiliate him. Take him off when he plays well, name him a captain and don’t include him in any squad. It cannot be well-received in the dressing room.
I’m not Ozil’s greatest fan either but the guy should be given the opportunity to earn some of his huge wage packet.
In the real world where the rest of us live this would be called constructive dismissal and the company would be taken to an Industrial Tribunal.
However good to see the youth having a run around and showing what is possible given a bit of energy and enthusiasm.
Neymar, Watch out, Martinelli is coming to the national team and big !
Maybe Ozil has a cold
Wtf where is Ozil? I dislike Emery for this treatment of him.
That’s exactly the question we ask every time Ozil has played. Where the fuck is he…fkn lazy wastrel 350k / wk for doing fck all when he gets his chances. And he’s had plenty last 5 years. Single biggest flop signing we ever made. And no one will touch him on this wages.
No Ozil – shakes head.
I suppose he’s probably off to DC in the winter
Plot twist.
Ozil is Emery’s son.
There was an I am your father moment at the gates of Colney last week
No Ozil – nods head.
Really like this lineup. Places up for grabs!
Excited to see a functional mid field in action. Then I think resting xhaka here means he’s in again on Sunday… [sigh].
Much rather see him in euro games than epl, but hey this is xhaka’s world, we’re just living in it…
Good line up, that should be 3-0 for us
No idea why you’ve been thumbed down, this team should easily be good enough to win by a few goals, Liege aren’t exactly peak Barcelona
Everyone on here tonight is really grumpy it seems. Hopefully a win will cheer them up!
It’s not really far-fetched to think Emery’s been expressly instructed to steadily but slowly freeze Ozil out of the squad so he gets frustrated enough to be open to a move before the expiration of his contract. I’m just saying cos nothing makes sense anymore. Let’s not forget that these club owners will always think Money first before anything else.
Anyways I’m looking forward to another Europa performance that’s easy on the eyes unlike our league performances, and especially glad M. Niles is further forward. Coyg
Exactly my thoughts
Ozil relegated to carabou. Quite the downhill slump
Exiled to life with the reindeer. MLS expansion to Alaska, maybe?
It’s getting a bit ridiculous now this leaving Ozil out thing. Surely he is good enough for a Europa league game at home?
Mark of a genius, Isn’t it? Keep a guy who’s on 350k a week in a team operating on a tight budget and not see him fit for an EL fixture. Who else but our master tactician. I said it earlier that logic and the obvious don’t cut it with Emery and I was told to give him a break. What’s the logic in this?
Such bullshit.
You don’t have to describe yourself here.
This is outright unfair to Ozil. And its not as if we are doing great without him (in epl)
Very strong bench, seems odd to take Leno to be honest
Bukayo Saka is now so integral to the first team that he has been rested for tonight’s fixture ready to be unleashed on Sunday!!!! I love it!
Is that a 4-5-1 with AMN as a winger?
Willock, Torreira, Ceballos – I hope for a change Torreira is the deepest.
What’s going on with Ozil, if he doesn’t play in these kind of games, then when will? Or is it end game between Emery vs Ozil and one of them will go soon?
Emery, I hope.
Both preferably. Neither is bringing anything to the club.
Why is UE frustrating Ozil? Use him in this game.
Ozil rightly or wrongly is not the future in Emery’s or the clubs opinion clearly.
Auba on bench, hopefully not required!!! Gulp
This Ozil nonsense is getting ridiculous. I’m far from his biggest fan but he’s still an asset that we’re wasting….
Really glad Emery decided to rest Auba and give Martinelli another shot up front. And if things are going poorly, you still have Auba in relief for at most, I’d hope, half an hour, so still fresh for Sunday.
Don’t care about Ozil. That’s a fairly strong line up. Would like to have seen some more youngsters on the bench. Biggest thing tonight is do not bring on Auba, shouldn’t be in the squad. He’s our only hope in the league give the guy a break. Win tonight and we’re looking good for qualification, let’s go boys.
Ouch. Not sure why the down votes!
Because people on here have totally lost sight of what matters!
i dont understand the downvotes.
ozil was one of the best no10s in his day, but he isnt showing he is worth his salary and the younger players are showing they deserve bigger ones.
we are in transition so you should expect mainstays to make way for potentials.
that being said auba 100% should be in the squad, we ARE arsenal and could be down 2 – 0 at half time with 80% possession.
I care a bit about Özil, enough for atleast his inclusion the squad tonight. Emery is making Özil look like a liability to us when in fact he himself is one. He talks about developing talent but refuses to coach Özil into what he needs. Having fullbacks putting in crosses is not the only way to score goals
Excited to see AMN as (I assume) a winger, feels like a long time since he got to play up there.
Emery is really trying to kill Ozil’s spirit and get him off the wage bill. I’d rather see the back of Emery tbh.
As for the rest of the lineup, I’d be happier if that defence and midfield 3 were starting league games. I’m sure they’d do better than what we’ve seen this season.
spot on sham
Quite sick of this ozil thing. He was decent in preseason and TBH he’s going to still be around if the manager screws up our season. Can’t say the same about the manager.
I understood last season Unai wanted a energetic high pressing team and Ozil isn’t that sort of player however our pressing has somewhat vanished in the last 8 months…
If anything our team misses a creative number 10 to connect the midfield an attack. So we can create chances that aren’t mistakes or penalties.
Ozil, Arsenals very own Brexit 🙂 I guess the boss Isn’t a remainer 🙂
Too good of a response ???
Where’s Saka?
Rested for Sunday against Bournemouth.
I suppose, but surely aubameyang will be playing also? He should have been on the bench surely??
TF the guy is 18 not 30 I understand with Auba – the dude has only played two games now we resting him? He needs game time and consistency. Also UE should have started Pepe to build his confidence at least this folks aren’t physical as EPL
Whatever your opinion of Ozil. I think we need to treat our players with more respect. Like it or not, he has played a crucial role over the last few years. Even screwed up with Ramsey.
Who screwed up with Ramsey? You need to get your facts straight mate…
Ozil might be injured, I suppose. But if he’s not then he should be in this team. If he’s not playing in the PL then he must play in the EL and the League Cup.
I wonder how many other businesses would pay an employee £1.5 million every month to do nothing?
Fats, I think he will not be here after January so he is not the future? The new team needs to move forward together without him. It seems harsh but…
My take is that the £350k a week is the maximum wage which includes appearances and performance related bonuses. So by non playing him he’s only on a basic salary. And the decision not to play him is nothing to do with Emery.
I been considering the same thing myself….
@paul how is it harsh?! Ozil has consistently given us nowhere near the level of performance 350k/wk should give you…and yet he’s quite content to sit out his contract without doing a thing to find another club…total disgrace.
#EmeryOut means #EmeryOut. He needs to go.
I’d rather we were rid of Emery than we were rid of Ozil
Ozil not in the squad. What is this disgraceful manager doing to a great player?
Exciting line up! Anyone know a good stream to watch the game? Cheers
This midfield, will it make Emery see the light of day?
Emery out
If the midfield was running smoothly it’d be one thing but it clearly isn’t working at all and the team needs a real link man — Ozil.
Emery is not only being clueless, he’s a bad man manager and needs to go.
If we were a fluid well oiled machine it’d be one thing leaving out Ozil but we are most definitely not. Also he played really well in pre-season.
Its wrong both on a tactical level and a man management level.
Emery must go.
Emery punishing Ozil for the squad voting him into the captaincy group. Pathetic.
What’s happening with Mesut is making me feel sick in my stomach. I was so looking forward to this game, I expected exactly that line up but with Mesut instead of Ceballos, it would have been a perfect set up for him to shine and enjoy his football again. Which is why Emery won’t do it. And if he won’t do it and the powers that be are encouraging this behaviour then they are just as bad. This is Arsenal, not some crappy club with no class. I don’t care if you love him or hate him, the way Emery… Read more »
I had the same sick feeling when I saw the team.
I wonder shouldn’t the other four captains talk to Emery and suggest he treat Ozil with some respect and stop this nonsense.
Exactly. I hate this kind of attitude towards players from Emery or even from our management. Absolutely classless. It brings shame on AFC, and even more when one takes into consideration the behaviour and the class of our preceding longserving manager.
Even in the unlikely scenario that Emery is planning on starting Ozil on Sunday, he’s still getting it all wrong because not playing Ozil like this is going to mean he has no match fitness.
It all just feels so stupid, whatever side of this Ozil debate you’re on.
Don Robbie called it Maitland -Niles starts in a more attacking role
This ain’t right. Ozil deserves a hell of a lot better treatment than this
Like fuck he does
I like Özil – a lot. Sue me. I believe that he has underperformed but I also believe he’s been used in the wrong ways and in the wrong systems for a long time. He’s not encouraged and not playing him is hardly going to improve him. The bottom line for me is that Özil can produce 5 chances per game. And one good chance is enough to make playing him – even as a sub – worthwhile. His star has fallen, yes, but he hasn’t lost his eye, his technical ability or his control, he’s lost his self motivation.… Read more »
Agreed. I think it reflects poorly on Emery not Ozil. A good coach would know how to use him.
Maybe another creative talented player (ex)would know how – Freddy maybe…. ??
But should Ozil be playing in this game anyway? League Cup and Europa group stages are surely where you want your younger players anyway, and those coming from long lay offs. But people are so obsessed with this guy that they can’t see that!
The way that Emery is not using Ozil, the player is effectively on a long lay off.
I tire of everyone complaining about not playing OZIL, this guy is the highest earning player in the team and we are taking a pity on him for not leaving up to how much he is making. is not the job of the coach to play a player out of pity but to play the people that seems devoted to his approach.
Unai Emery is a cow. I repeat, Unai Emery is a cow for treating Ozil this way.
Honestly evryone gets a chance to play. From xhaka to martinez to mustafi apart from ozil. the only players who hv played less than him r players on injury! when will he get a chance.? Another thing is ceballos is not a no 10 he is a 8 cant make attacking passes or attakin runs in the final third. Takes long to decide and makes poor decisions in final third
We have a pretty decent squad now overall and Ozil is part of it. Shame we have a manager who is showing himself to be tactically naive much of the time. Should be getting a lot more out of these players.
Ozil drunk (Ok he doesn’t drink, he’s a Muslim) is ten times better than Ceballos. Ceballos is a player who doesn’t add anything, he does these turns like a dog chasing his tail, slows down play, has no pace, doesn’t last 90 minutes, slow not good for premiership football, that’s why Zidane off ‘loaded him.
A lot of people will be desperate to talk about Ozil but personally I’m just happy to see AMN in an attacking position. He’s massively done a job for us at full back, let’s see what he can do in a more favoured position
Serge who?
In all seriousness though, Martinelli and Tierney have done wonderfully well in the first 15 mins
At least Emery decided against starting Aubameyang. The whole Ozil situation is as strange as I anything I can recall in sports management.
No money can buy what Willock, Martinelli, Nelson and Saka have!!! Immediate impact in the first team!
Who need Ozil when we have Mesut Willock?
What a performance, he drives the whole team forward with his runs through the middle. No one can get the ball off of him either, he’s so good at riding tackles. And shouldn’t it be Mesut Willöck?
Ozil knows he is not wanted but must have decided to stay.
Why is emery wasting and risking injury with Auba in this game ?
Fucking idiotic, probably just proving to Auba who’s boss.
I think when your management skills are like Emery’s you rarely get the best out of a player at it has definitely effected Ozils performances and a probably a few more.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out if you treat your staff right you will get the best out of them. I am not saying their best might be good enough but you will get the effort from that person.