Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery has revealed that it was Mesut Ozil’s incompetence to put “aggressive pressure” on the opponent that compelled him to sideline the midfielder at the club.
“Mesut Ozil has talent that allows other players to be better, but when you want a bit more aggressive pressure he does not have the best qualities for that,” Emery told BBC Sport as quoted by Goal.
Emery added: “I’ve had a lot of conversations with Mesut Ozil. He’s a very important player for the team. There are games in which you see Mesut’s brilliance, linking with the attack. But also I had to find players around him so he felt comfortable.
“Also the team needed to feel solid. And when you, little by little, have to build a team that is aggressive, intense, as well as structured for good pressure, we also had to find a space for Mesut as he gives us an important part of the game, which is his brilliant talent.
“To do so I had to find the right connections between players, the right tactics. I was very motivated to try to find that. I wanted Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut to work together, each one of them with their own characteristics.
“But there were times when I had to leave one of them out of the XI.”
Emery, who served as Arsenal boss for 18 months, was fired on November 29 after a string of low performances.
Meanwhile, former Gunners captain Mikel Arteta has signed as club’s boss for three-and-a-half-year by taking the reins from Freddie Ljungberg, who served as caretaker manager since Emery’s exit.