Former Arsenal winger Perry Groves has slammed Unai Emery for selecting Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi ahead of Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil.
The long-serving pair were unavailable for Arsenal’s Europa League last-32 first leg defeat to Bate Borisov on Thursday night but have been unable to get in the side in recent times even when fit and available for selection.
Groves was fuming at manager Emery for trying to put a positive gloss on the performance in Belarus, a match Iwobi and Mkhitaryan started, and urged him to bring Ozil and Ramsey back into the starting XI.
“Don’t try and spin the fans, whatever you do, especially the ones who’s travelled all the way there,” Groves said on talkSPORT on Friday afternoon. “If you’re telling me that Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey, at this particular time, aren’t a better prospect in playing in our team, than Alex Iwobi and Mkhitaryan, I’m not having it at all.
“Even though Ramsey will be off, and Unai Emery has made it quite clear that he doesn’t want Mesut Ozil long-term. There is a period of games coming up now where Arsenal are crying out for creativity.”
“Arsenal are crying out for creativity!”
“You’re telling me Ozil & Ramsey aren’t better than Iwobi and Mkhitaryan.”
“I’m not having it at all.” ?#AFC hero Perry Groves isn’t happy with Unai Emery’s team selection ? pic.twitter.com/S5thvuSFSM
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) February 15, 2019
OPINION
Firstly, Ozil was unavailable for Thursday’s match, the 100th game he has missed through injury or illness since joining Arsenal in the summer of 2013. As Martin Keown pointed out on BT Sport, that is an “embarrassing” appearance record, given that the German has been absent for few games due to serious injury. Is lifelong Gooner Groves right, though? Should Ozil and Ramsey be reinstated as soon as they’re fit and well? Or, should they remain on the fringes, given the Wales international is moving to Juventus in the summer, and Emery clearly doesn’t rate Ozil? The problem for the manager is that the men brought in to replace the long-serving pair aren’t delivering. Iwobi shows glimpses of magic before disappearing, Mkhitaryan is nowhere near the player who was once the outstanding playmaker in the Bundesliga and Denis Suarez is not yet up to speed. Should that continue, Emery will have no choice but to bring Ozil and Ramsey back into the fold. Otherwise, Arsenal will be struggling to finish above sixth and will end the season in a worse place than they started it.