Outcast Ozil is Gunner get a recall
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has refused to rule out a dramatic January return for outcast Mesut Ozil.
The German star was omitted from the club’s 25-man squad at the start of the campaign after a falling-out with gaffer Arteta.
With the Gunners struggling in the Premier League, some fans want Ozil, 31, to be given another chance in the new year.
When asked if there is any chance the midfield ace could be included for the second half of the campaign, the former Rangers star said: “He’s not in the squad right now. I’m focusing just on the players we have here.
“But, what e ve r happens in January, we have time to decide.”
Arteta also hopes that getting back to basics will end Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s poor form in front of goal.
He has scored just twice in the league – in the opening day win at Fulham and a penalty in last month’s 1- 0 victory at Manchester United.
But Spaniard Arteta backs the natural-born finisher to regain his mantle as one of the most feared forwards on the planet if he stops thinking about it.
The Emirates chief, whose side host Burnley this evening, said: “Sometimes, it’s how much you think. With strikers like Auba that has to be in a natural way – he doesn’t need to think.
“The action is there, he makes the choice in the right moment, with the correct foot, and puts the ball where it needs to be.
“Sometimes, when you are in this sort of spell, you overthink a bit. So you have to let that flow go because this is something he’s done in his whole career.
“There is nothing we can teach him to do differently to what he’s done in the past.
“We’re doing a lot to see where he scores his goals, how they get provided, the areas he needs to attack, and the type of finishes he is efficient with.
“When you have a player in this spell, you need others to step up.
“You need someone there to help him, then things come more naturally because the pressure is less.”
The pressure is certainly not easing on Arteta just now with Arsenal struggling.
But the 38-year-old is confident he can turn things round.
He said: “I feel the pressure every day because I know the demands of this huge club. I can’t be more energised or passionate about the dream I want to build here but we know we need results to keep evolving the way we want to do it.”