Mesut Ozil holds keys to his destiny, says Arsenal coach Unai Emery ahead of Europa League tie with Bate Borisov
Unai Emery has said the onus is on Mesut Ozil to show he is ready to return to the Arsenal first team, saying the German playmaker has the “key in his hands” and needs to stop missing training through injury and illness.
Speaking ahead of Thursday night's all-important Europa League meeting with Bate Borisov, the Arsenal head coach has told Ozil that he must be consistently available for selection and for training “without the injuries, without being sick”.
Ozil has started only four matches since November 11 but may be called upon on Thursday evening as Arsenal attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit against the Belarusian side and avoid what would be one of the most humiliating European defeats in the club’s history.
Arsenal were desperately short of midfield creativity in the first leg, when Ozil was left in London after Emery deemed him short of training time following his latest illness.
In all, Ozil has now missed 100 matches for Arsenal since joining the club from Real Madrid in 2013. He has consistently suffered from illness in recent years, with former manager Arsene Wenger even saying last year that the German’s immune system is “a bit in trouble”, and he was unavailable for the recent victory over Huddersfield.
Wenger said earlier this week that the £350,000 contract Ozil signed last year may have left him in a “comfort zone” at the club. Asked about those comments, Emery said: “Firstly, the key is in his [Ozil’s] hand. And he is working very well this week.
“I ask him in our conversations to be consistent. To be available for us in training. When you can train with regularity and consistency, you can help us in the games. Now I think this week is good for all the players because we are in an important moment of the season.
“I am looking at him in training like we want. I know he wants [to play]. But he needs to be consistent, be available for training, for the matches. Without the injuries, without being sick. Like that, I think we can see the best Mesut with us.”
Emery has issued a rallying cry to the Arsenal supporters, saying he wants a “big atmosphere” at the Emirates despite the match starting at the unusually early time of 5.55pm.
Uefa regulations state that two matches cannot be played at the same time in the same city, and Chelsea face Malmo at Stamford Bridge at 8pm. Chelsea have been given priority because they won last season’s FA Cup.
The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust has written an open letter to Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, saying that the kick-off time is “totally unacceptable” and warning that there will be a “huge number of empty seats” at the Emirates.
“It is very important to play in our stadium with our supporters,” said Emery. “We need their support for this match and I hope there is a big atmosphere for us. Together, with their support, I know our players can play and give their all.”
The nature of the insipid first-leg performance in Belarus, when centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette was shown a straight red card for elbowing a Bate player in the face, has made this second leg arguably the most important match so far of Emery’s reign in London.
Failure to progress would mean that Arsenal’s last chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League would be finishing in the top in the Premier League, where Arsenal are currently fifth. Defeat would also be a major blow for Emery’s standing, not least because he won the Europa League three times in a row with Sevilla.
Laurent Koscielny, the club captain, has called for “calmness and focus” against a Bate side that will want to produce a far more solid showing at the Emirates than last season, when they were drubbed 6-0 in the group stages of the Europa League.
Emery was quick to mention how he has demanded that his team, which may not include the ill Ainsley Maitland-Niles, is mentally prepared for the prospect of extra time and penalties. The Spaniard also said he was looking for a spirited response to last week’s defeat, adding that he will learn more from his team in these difficult, high-pressure moments than in more straightforward fixtures.
“I am not telling the players we are playing under pressure,” Emery said. “We are playing with our big demands because we want to play a match like that, with a difficult result, with a difficult team. I am looking for our response.”
