Mesut Ozil, after all the off pitch drama finally made his return to make his first Premier League bout of the campaign when he was handed a start against Watford at the weekend and despite of just seventy-one minutes of football this season Unai Emery insists Mesut Ozil needs rest as the Arsenal head coach left him at home for the Europa League tie with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Ozil was caught in an attempted carjacking alongside team-mate Sead Kolasinac which led to a significant time off football which was followed by some ‘illness’.
Despite already retiring from Germany last year amid, trip to Frankfurt would have marked his first return to play in his homeland since and would undoubtedly have received a hostile reception from a fervent Frankfurt crowd. Though Emery offered bizzare excuse that Mesut was rested alongside Sokratis (who has featured every minute of the opening five Premier League).
✈️ Our travelling squad for @Eintracht 🇩🇪
🏆 #UEL pic.twitter.com/Lo7onG1yoz
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 18, 2019
“We are playing now a lot of matches and I want to use different players and also can have some rotation in the first 11 and in the 19 players in the squad for tomorrow and Sokratis and Mesut they rest this match,” he said.
“I prefer after the Sunday match to rest that match and to train and to be ready for Sunday.
“Because we are going to play another match on Sunday. My decision is because he played and also I’m thinking tomorrow the focus and the first 11.
“After that I decided who are the players who can be the best for tomorrow and also the players not and that is Sokratis and Mesut.
“Really the first match he played on Sunday, he played well and was good physically – also giving us his capacity and skills and after his first minutes (of the season) it was good for us.
“Now he is ready to help us, not tomorrow but on Sunday – we are going to play another match and tomorrow we are thinking to do some rotation.”
Now there will be alot of attention on whether Mesut Ozil starts on Sunday against Aston Villa, given he has been left out here.
