If Ozil really was sick, why did he spend an hour in the Arsenal dressing room?
For Unai Emery and Mesut ozil, this has been coming. The signs were there as ozil flailed against Manchester City and then more clearly when Emery hooked him at Chelsea last weekend.
In Singapore in pre- season, Emery imposed his pressing demands on his new players, and it worked well. Yet there was one episode in a match against Paris Saint-Germain that sticks in the mind. As every Arsenal player harried and harassed their opponents, Mesut ozil dawdled back into position. on the touchline, Emery gestured for ozil to increase the tempo. After the game, he insisted the pressing must improve.
on Saturday, ozil was not involved, deemed unwell, although a report claimed he and Emery had become embroiled in a training-ground row after the player learned he would not be starting. The Arsenal manager insisted that was ‘not true’.
Yet as Emery elaborated on the issue, his version of events became more suspect. He confirmed the pair held face-to-face talks on Thursday. It is understood Emery has asked ozil to work harder and press harder. Sportsmail also believes he was giving serious thought to dropping ozil for this match. Considering ozil was said to be unwell, it was also peculiar that Emery should allow him to spend an hour in the Arsenal dressing room before the game.
Emery said: ‘ Two days ago, I spoke with him about things tactically for this match and the last match. And he said to me he was sick two days ago.
‘Yesterday, Friday, after my conversation on Thursday, he continued to stay off sick. We spoke with the doctor and decided it was better for him to stay at home. Then, if today he was feeling better, he should come. He came and stayed one hour in the dressing room with the players.’
A civil war between the club’s star name and the manager can have damaging consequences. ozil is the club’s highest earner, on a £350,000-a-week contract signed in January, and the club’s hierarchy are eager for him to adapt to Emery’s wishes. This could become the defining issue on and off the pitch.
Slowly but surely, Arsenal are entering their brave new world under Emery and for this victory, he used the extra energy of a three- man midfield featuring Matteo Guendouzi, Granit Xhaka and Aaron ramsey. Yet flaws remained and West Ham, who took the lead through Marko Arnautovic’s excellent low strike, had at least six clear sights of goal. Arsenal responded, equalising through Nacho Monreal before an own goal from Issa Diop and then Danny Welbeck’s late goal sealed victory.
Arsenal were often caught on the counter- attack and defender Sokratis warned: ‘ We are experienced players and we have to be more clever. When we have to make fouls, we should make fouls. It was like a final today. When you start badly, in the third game you have to win. Now we are a little calmer.’
As for West Ham, there is more alarm after Manuel Pellegrini became the club’s first manager to lose his first three games since Avram Grant. Yet in a starting XI featuring seven summer signings, the performance improved. In Felipe Anderson, the £36m signing from Lazio, there was hope.
Winger robert Snodgrass said: ‘Even though we lost 3-1, it’s the level of the performance. You can tell it’s coming. But what are you going to do about it? You can’t feel