Emery on starting Ozil: Mesut Ozil sat on the bench through the game against Bournemouth last weekend.
Arsenal will be up against their north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday. The Gunners are currently fifth in the Premier League table, but have a chance to go level at points with Pochettino’s side.
Tottenham are high on spirits after wins against Chelsea and Inter Milan, and are currently 3rd on the Premier League table.
However, one of the major concerns for Arsenal at the moment will be the participation of Mesut Ozil in the game. The former German international sat on the bench for the entirety of the game against Bournemouth last week.
As Arsenal play the first north London derby of the season on Sunday, Mesut Ozil’s role in the game would garner significant spotlight. Unai Emery has now responded to the doubts over his participation.
Emery on starting Ozil:
Unai Emery was asked the question on whether Ozil would start the game against Tottenham. The Arsenal boss, however, dodged the question, stating ‘he doesn’t know.’
He insisted that every player is important to the team.
“I don’t know because tomorrow is the last training, but every player is very important with their qualities,” Emery said.
“We need to continue preparing & continue improving in our work & as a team with bigger performances & individual quality.”
After the match against Bournemouth, Unai Emery was asked on the absence of Ozil in the game. He insisted that the match demanded physicality and intensity.
“We thought how we can do better in the match, a very demanding match with physicality and intensity,” the manager said.
“But every player is important. In the beginning of the season we were speaking every day about the need to be competitive,” he added.
The relationship between Unai Emery and Mesut Ozil has been reportedly on the rocks ever since the arrival of the manager. The Arsenal manager, however, has denied these claims on multiple occasions.
On the North London derby:
The Arsenal manager also spoke about the north London derby during the media interaction. He emphasised on the role of supporters for the game.
“Each match for me is very special. The derby is perhaps more special because my responsibility is bigger because of every supporter.
“Also we need 3 points because we want to be closer to the other teams, like Tottenham, & we have this challenge.
“Every match at the Emirates is a very big match. We can watch different games there but it always has a very big atmosphere with our supporters. On Sunday I know that if one friend is asking me if I have a ticket for Sunday, its not possible because its full.”
