Arsenal Vs Manchester City: 3 huge questions from damning defeat
By Marc Gibbons
2. Is this the end of the road for Mesut Ozil?
The starting line-up was a shock, to say the least, especially with Pablo Mari, Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah all starting, many of which in place of more senior and experienced options. However, the most surprising decision was the complete omission of Mesut Ozil despite no injuries and him training in the week.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
- 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
- 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
- Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
- 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
- Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win
Arteta said after the match the Ozil was left out due to ‘tactical reasons’. Quite what that means, however, is difficult to say. Surely there was a place on the bench for someone who started all ten of Arteta’s previous 10 league games as head coach?
A lot of the speculation could indicate a falling out between the two with Ozil having a history of not exactly being a manager’s favourite. It could, of course, be something completely innocent, but whatever it is, I’m sure Arteta will want to keep things in-house.
One thing for sure though is Ozil’s omission will certainly raise a few eyebrows with people especially when it looked like he had been given a second chance after Arteta took over. With young players ready to step up to the first team and Ozil falling out of the graces of the man who seemingly believed in him, could this be the end of the road at Arsenal?