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Arsenal boss Unai Emery: This is why I dropped Mesut Ozil against Bournemouth
UNAI EMERY says he left Mesut Ozil out of the Arsenal team because he was concerned by Bournemouth intensity.
Emery reveals why Ozil was benched at Bournemouth clash
Bournemouth are one of the best teams in the Premier League in terms of pressing but the sight of Ozil on the bench was still a surprise.
With Ozil’s omission, Emery opted to change formation to 3-4-3 with Alex Iwobi and Henrik Mkhitaryan in support of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
And it was Aubameyang who got the all-important winner in the second half after he tapped in Sead Kolasinac’s cross.
When asked about Ozil after the match, Emery explained his decision to reporters.
“We thought how we can be better in the match today, which is very demanding with the physicality and the intensity, but every player is important,” said Emery.
"In the beginning of the season we were speaking every day about being organised and competitive - and it’s the same today.
“Also today we tried with three centre backs like we’ve done at some stages this season, and it’s another possibility for us to improve and find our best performance.”
Ozil remained on the bench for the 90 minutes and wasn’t asked to warm up by the coaching staff.
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And Emery said that decision was due to how the match unfolded.
He said: “It depends on how the matching is coming and how the result is coming during the 90 minutes.
“I decided for another option.”