Arsenal: Unai Emery succeeding with Mesut Ozil where Jose Mourinho failed with Paul Pogba

Jose Mourinho could not incite a positive reaction out of Paul Pogba. It is one factor of his firing as Manchester United manager. At Arsenal, Unai Emery is succeeding with Mesut Ozil, precisely where Mourinho failed.

Jose Mourinho was fired as Manchester United manager because he was unable to get the best out of some rather talented players. Anthony Martial was one of the brightest European talents of his generation. Juan Mata is a Premier League winner, as is Nemanja Matic. Romelu Lukaku has scored double figures in his past six Premier League seasons.

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And most of all, Paul Pogba was once a world-record signing and a World Cup winner with a marvellous campaign for France in the summer. Mourinho, thanks to ageing tactics and archaic man-management, was unable to ever get the best out of any of these players.

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Pogba, especially, was a curious case. A player of such inexorable skill and ability, such undeniable talent, a truly gifted footballer. And yet, under Mourinho, he often looked lost and listless, not life-inspiring as he had done for Juventus and France. The enigmatic character is not an easy player to manage. But Mourinho, no matter what he did, could not incite a positive reaction. He dropped him. He captained him. He criticised him. He praised him. No matter what he did, Pogba simply wasn’t Pogba.

And then, in Manchester United’s first match without Mourinho on the sidelines, that same verve and vivacity immediately returned to the striding, surging midfielder’s game. Suddenly, overnight, he was himself again, as Jamie Jackson of The Guardian noted. Pogba responded to the sacking of Mourinho, not the management.

Contrast that to Unai Emery and Mesut Ozil. Another equally gifted player who has routinely underperformed and infuriated, Emery has challenged Ozil. For ‘tactical reasons’, he was dropped from the matchday squad altogether for Arsenal’s EFL Cup quarter-final against Spurs. Emery has publicly stated that Ozil cannot play in more physical matches. Ozil has been held accountable.

But on Saturday, rather than pile on the pain and pressure, Emery changed his tune. Not only did he reinstate Ozil to the starting line-up, playing him in behind Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, afforded the freedom of the Emirates to roam wherever he pleases, but he was made captain. Ozil has been captain before, but given the reported fracture in relationship, it was a surprise to see him handed such a position of leadership.

Ozil, however, responded just as Emery would have hoped. He was not quite his brilliantly creative self, but he did provide two key pieces of play to unlock the Burnley defence for the first and third goals. He also played in a leading manner. He was constantly barking out instructions to his teammates, he had continuous conversation with the referee, and he even played with application and commitment, as if he was aware of the responsibility that Emery had handed him. This was Ozil’s response, and it was a positive one.

Emery is succeeding with Ozil where Mourinho failed with Pogba. Getting the best out of your best players is a key part of management. Mourinho could not do that. It is a large reason as to why he was fired. Emery is proving that he can.