Just when we thought things were looking up for Mesut Ozil...
The German playmaker has been left out of Arsenal’s League Cup quarterfinal clash with bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday because of ‘tatical reasons’ according to Unai Emery.
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Ozil, 30, had missed the past month of action for the Gunners with a back injury after being an unused sub for a win away at Bournemouth in November.
However, he had returned to the team over the past week for their Europa League win against Qarabag and then the defeat at Southampton on Sunday.
After leaving Ozil out at Bournemouth Emery suggested that there was a “physicality” and “intensity” issue with his game, and the Spaniard certainly prefers to select players who are more eager to dig in and do their defensive work before attacking.
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Defending is not one of Ozil’s strengths, and Arsenal’s highest-paid player is struggling to get into this Arsenal despite all of their injuries in recent weeks.
It remains to be seen if Ozil has a future at Arsenal under Emery, but right now it seems like that is far from likely.