Arsenal: Unai Emery moving on from Mesut Ozil, and that’s fine

It is quite clear: Arsenal head coach Unai Emery is moving on from Mesut Ozil. And do you know what? That is absolutely fine.

When Unai Emery arrived at Arsenal last summer, one of the key tactical questions that needed to be answered was his use of Mesut Ozil. Arsene Wenger was extremely patient with the German, recognising his flaws but also accepting his talent and overall impact was worth the sacrifice. And that is very much the type of manager Wenger was: he saw the best in his players. Emery would be different.

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Early on, the Spaniard gave Ozil opportunities to prove that he could adapt to this new approach. Very quickly, it became apparent that he could not. While there were moments of his sheer quality rising above the rest of the team and the opposition, across a whole season, it was clear that Emery and Ozil did not fit.

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This year, those spraying differences have become gaping chasms. Ozil has made just two appearances, one of which came in the EFL Cup, which is a kick in the teeth for a World Cup winner, and has not been named in either of Arsenal’s matchday squads for the two matches this week. On both occasions, it was unequivocally due to ‘tactical reasons’, with Emery not even attempting some feigned motivation to protect his decision.

After Thursday night’ 4-0 win over Standard Liege, Emery made it quite clear: Ozil is not in his plans.

"“I am thinking every time to decide the best players for each match and the best players in the squad to play and to help us. When I decided he shouldn’t be in the squad it’s because I think other players deserved it more. What does he have to do? He needs to continue working. Tomorrow we have training with the players who didn’t play, and on Sunday we have another match, and we are going to decide the same. Our target is to win on Sunday against Bournemouth, and we want to carry on our same way in each match.”"

The Ozil fanboys have been up in arms. There was even a petition set up on social media when he was dropped from the squad against Emery. Plenty of #EmeryOut tweets rained in as fans sided with an underperforming, overpaid, uncommitted player over the head coach of their football club. But Emery is quite within his rights to move on from Mesut.

In fact, I would go further than that: not only is Emery within his rights to move on from Ozil; he is making the correct choice in doing so. Ozil’s production has decreased ever since he signed a bumper new deal — this, incidentally, is not a coincidence. He does not work hard off the ball, which is required of all 11 players on the pitch in the modern game. His pressing is weak, his tracking nonexistent, and his diminishing athleticism is becoming an increasing issue, just as is the same with Granit Xhaka.

Does Ozil have talent far beyond any other player in the Arsenal squad? Yes. Can he produce moments that only a few players in the world can replicate? Absolutely. But talent and potential is not enough to justify inclusion. Attitude, application, and, most crucially, efficacy must be produced also, and Ozil provides none.

People will not be happy with Emery’s decision. The Ozil proprietors will be in force, make no mistake. But Emery is moving on, and he is absolutely right to do so.