‘I tried to achieve the best performances with him’ – Unai Emery opens up on dealing with Mesut Ozil at Arsenal
Unai Emery has opened up on his both time at Arsenal, and efforts to best manage Mesut Ozil.
Last Updated: January 14, 2021 2:52 pm
Emery on Ozil
It appears as though Mesut Ozil’s time at Arsenal is coming to an end. The former German international has been linked with a move to both Turkey and the United States of late, and could leave the Emirates this January, ahead of the expiration of his deal come the season’s end.
Mesut Ozil has agreed a three-and-a-half year contract with Turkish club Fenerbahce, according to @dhaspor—reports also link him to DC United. pic.twitter.com/0hccgcZuJe
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 6, 2021
During his time at the club, Ozil has served under 3 coaches, in the form of Arsene Wenger, current boss Mikel Arteta, and the man that took over from Wenger, Unai Emery.
In a recent interview with football.london, Emery opened up on his time at Arsenal, and specifically his handling and use of the former Real Madrid number 10:
“I worked for one and a half years with Mesut and tried to help him, support him and achieve the performances for the team with him,” said Emery.
“Now I don’t know what the problems are as I am very concentrated and focused with Villarreal.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 15: Per Mertesacker and Fredrik Ljungberg of Arsenal look on as Mesut Ozil kicks his gloves in the air in frustration after he is subbed during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on December 15, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)
“I follow every Arsenal match but I don’t know what the problems are with the team or the players. I can only speak about Mesut Ozil when I was with him there and I tried to achieve the best performances with him.”
Mesut Ozil has not been used at all this season, after being omitted from Arsenal’s Premier League squad. However, the midfielder recently took to social media to assure that he will remember his time at the club fondly:
… I’ve enjoyed that time a lot and I’ve thought we’re really on a very positive way. But after the break things unfortunately changed … (2/2)
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) January 11, 2021
Incredible Saka
Arsenal have experienced an upturn in form lately, winning their last 4 matches. Victories over Chelsea, Brighton, West Brom and Newcastle have enabled Gunners fans to take on a more positive outlook regarding the season’s potential outcome, on the back of a horrific start which saw them record their worst opening to a Premier League campaign in the club’s history.
Some of the key performers in dragging Arsenal out of the mire have been Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli. Interestingly, Unai Emery handed senior debuts to all three, who have, in turn, begun to be used more often by Mikel Arteta.
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on December 26, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Andrew Boyers – Pool/Getty Images)
Whilst Smith Rowe and Martinelli, for various reasons, have only been selected by Arteta on a consistent basis of late, a mainstay throughout the campaign has been Saka. In fact, the now senior England international has been one of the Gunners’ only bright sparks, alongside Kieran Tierney, for the better part of the first third of the campaign.
Emery spoke of the excitement he felt in witnessing Saka’s debut. “I remember when Bukayo played the first match with us in January. We won against Fulham 4-1 at the Emirates, he played for the first time with us at 17 years-old for 10 minutes,” he said. “He didn’t touch one ball in ten minutes! He ran, ran, ran but didn’t kick one ball – it was amazing.”
“When he started playing regularly you could look at him and see he’s a very good player. He’s progressing as a very important player and he is a very humble person. It’s very important because some other players don’t have the same humble qualities as him to always want to learn, listen and follow us.”
Arsenal and Emery’s current club Villarreal have very similar targets this season – reaching the pinnacle of European football and returning to the Champions League. The two clubs are intertwined in their history in the competition, after facing off in the 2006 semi-finals.
Arsenal came out the victors in the last bout, but with the pair both involved in this year’s Europa League, a renewal of rivalries could be on the cards over the months ahead.
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This article was edited by Conor Laird.
Football Live streaming: Featured matches on January 27, 2020
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Arsenal vs Man Utd odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Arsenal vs Man Utd Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 4/1 | 9/2 |
| Man Utd | 7/2 | 15/4 |
| Draw | 10/3 | 11/1 |
| Arsenal vs Man Utd Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandre Lacazette | 11/5 | 11/5 | 13/10 |
| Eddie Nketiah | 12/5 | 12/5 | 6/4 |
| Anthony Martial | 11/4 | 11/4 | 13/8 |
| Edinson Cavani | 11/4 | 11/4 | 13/8 |
| Marcus Rashford | 11/4 | 11/4 | 13/8 |
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| 1 | Manchester City FC | 19 | 23 | 41 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 19 | 11 | 40 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 19 | 14 | 38 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 20 | 6 | 35 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 19 | 15 | 34 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 8 | Arsenal FC | 20 | 6 | 30 |
| 9 | Aston Villa FC | 17 | 13 | 29 |
| 10 | Chelsea FC | 19 | 10 | 29 |
| 11 | Southampton FC | 19 | 3 | 29 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 19 | -3 | 26 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 20 | -12 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 18 | -12 | 19 |
| 16 | Newcastle United FC | 20 | -15 | 19 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 18 | -12 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 20 | -33 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 7 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
