Unai Emery press conference: Manager gives update on Ozil

Unai Emery press conference: The manager provided an update on Mesut Ozil’s participation in the game against Manchester United.

Arsenal are in red-hot form at the moment. The side extended their unbeaten run to 19 games across all competitions as they cruised past Tottenham 4-2 in season’s first North London derby.

Aubameyang scored twice for Arsenal, while Lacazette and Torreira completed an emphatic turnaround in the game for the Gunners. Earlier, Arsenal trailed 1-2 at halftime after Eric Dier and Harry Kane’s goals cancelled the host side’s lead.

The Gabon-born striker also became the top goalscorer in the league, overtaking the Manchester City duo of Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling. He has now scored 10 goals in the league this season.

However, Mesut Ozil was forced to miss the game due to back spasms. This is not the first time when Mesut Ozil was out injured with back issues. He missed the game against Fulham earlier this season with a similar problem. Unai Emery has now given an update on the midfielder’s fitness.

Unai Emery press conference:

The Arsenal manager stated that Mesut Ozil is a doubt for the game, and that the midfielder has trained alone earlier today.

“I said yesterday he’s had backache since last Tuesday,” Emery said.

“He couldn’t play in Kiev or yesterday. At the moment, I don’t know if he can play in Manchester. Today he was working alone, I don’t know if he’s okay for Wednesday.”

Mesut Ozil hasn’t played for Arsenal since the draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month. The midfielder was dropped to bench for the game against Bournemouth, and Emery later stated that he wanted physicality in the midfield when asked about the decision to bench the player.

He wasn’t included in the trip to Kiev as Arsenal took on Vorskla.

Unai Emery says Mesut Ozil remains a doubt for Man United because of his back problem: “Today he was working alone, I don’t know if he’s OK for Wednesday.”

— Mattias Karén (@MattiasKaren) December 3, 2018

The former German international has made 10 league starts for Unai Emery in this season.

Unai Emery also talked about the upcoming game against Mourinho’s side, and stated that Arsenal need to prove that they’re the stronger side at Old Trafford.

“It’s away and we need to continue improving our mentality away. We know we need to change to get more competitive away.

Credit to Unai Emery. Didn’t spend an awful amount in the summer and in the space of 5 months he’s already transformed that Arsenal side into a team that everyone should fear whereas Mourinho has had 3 years, £400m to spend and we’re still a laughing stock. Joke.

— Ryan. 🔴 (@Vintage_Utd) December 2, 2018

“I think the team is doing that, but it’s a new challenge because we’re going to play against Manchester United away, and the challenge is bigger than other matches.

“For us, it’s a very exciting match. The preparation for this match is also a big motivation for us. It gives me a big motivation for Wednesday. If we are stronger now, we need to [show that] on Wednesday.”