When Arsenal Head Coach Unai Emery announced Mesut Ozil would be included in the squad travelling up to Anfield on Wednesday night, the initial feeling of excitement for his supporters soon turned into one of concern. The German’s name was chanted loudly and passionately at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon as the Gunners struggled to kill off Crystal Palace, increasing the pressure on Emery to open the door for his return.
In and amongst the Arsenal fan base there are some who believe Emery’s decision to throw Ozil back in at Anfield is driven by an ulterior motive. How match-fit can the player possibly be? Arsenal are expected to be under-strength and Anfield is never an easy place to go. So will Emery select him knowing full well the environment is set for him to fail subsequently silencing his remaining support?
This is a set up
— AbdulSalam Ola (@salamabdulqawiy) October 29, 2019
Throwing him in Liverpool away emery knows exactly what he’s doing, I really hope ozil has an amazing performance to prove him wrong man
— ? (@moefiasco) October 29, 2019
Emery is setting ozil up tomorrow haha. This show keeps on getting better
— Reindolf MBE (@reind_deer) October 29, 2019
He’s bringing him back vs the best team in the league? ? ? ? ? This is SA set up
— Franklin Saint (@Coach_Corleone) October 29, 2019
It’s a trap.
— Moataz AboSdera (@Mezoology) October 29, 2019
Yeah, he’s your scapegoat for tomorrow ???
— George Washington (@G_Washington5) October 29, 2019
What do we think?
Ozil has made just two appearances for the Gunners this season and his exclusion from the squad in recent times has been a black mark against Unai Emery in the eyes of some supporters. With the pressure the Head Coach is under to bring the German back into his plans comes a huge pressure on Ozil to perform. Although the circumstances around his return this evening are far from ideal, we will never really know if Emery’s latest comments are masking an ulterior motive.