SM
Inter Milan vs. Como: 16 hrs 3 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
AL
Europa League | Round of 32
Feb 21, 2019 at 5.55pm UK
 

3-0

Volkov (4' og.), Mustafi (39'), Sokratis (60')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Unai Emery cannot guarantee Mesut Ozil a regular starting place at Arsenal

:Headline: Unai Emery cannot guarantee Mesut Ozil a regular starting place at Arsenal: ID:351065: from db_amp
The German has struggled to make an impact in recent weeks.

Mesut Ozil returned to the Arsenal side as they secured safe passage into the last 16 of the Europa League – but head coach Unai Emery insists he is not certain of a regular place in his team.

The Gunners went into the second leg against BATE Borisov needing to complete a comeback following a surprise 1-0 defeat in Belarus last week.

They responded well and won 3-0 courtesy of a Zakhar Volkov own goal and headers from defensive duo Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

Emery opted to recall Ozil having left him at home for the first leg – with the highest-paid player in the club's history relegated to a peripheral role in recent weeks and making just his second start since Boxing Day.

Despite a run of indifferent form, Emery has told Ozil he needs to shake off his minor injuries and illness to be more consistent.

The former Germany international put in a good showing against BATE and played the whole 90 minutes, although Emery said after the game that he cannot guarantee Ozil he will stay in the team long-term.

"Today he showed what he wants," he said.

"If he is available, like the last two weeks, we are going to play a lot of matches and maybe sometimes we need him in the starting XI and sometimes on the bench because we have a lot of players to also help us.

Mesut Ozil, right, has made just two starts since Boxing Day (Nick Potts/PA)

"His spirit like today is good and his quality and capacity and combination with some players is good, I think we need every player and today playing Mesut was important and positive."

Alex Iwobi hailed Ozil as "world-class" and admits he is keen to keep playing alongside the 30-year-old.

"We know what Mesut's like because we see him in training every day," he told BT Sport.

"He's world-class. We scored three goals as a result of him playing. I know if I make a run he has the vision to find me. Hopefully he can keep on playing.

“I think we need every player and today playing Mesut was important and positive”
- Unai Emery

"We showed that we are able to make a fighting comeback as a team. We have had good and bad moments this season but the aim is to keep improving and I'm really happy we got through."

BATE threatened at times and saw an effort cleared off the line by Stephan Lichtsteiner, with midfielder Nemanja Milic still pleased with the result over the two legs.

"We are happy," he said.

"We won the first game, and Arsenal are a better team than us. We go on from here. The first goal was very hard and created a real problem for us."

amp_article__351065 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-02-21 22:33:13:
html db last update - 2019-02-21 22:33:13 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Mesut Ozil

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .