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Arsenal news: Reason for Mesut Ozil’s absence from Tottenham match revealed
UNAI EMERY has opened up on his decision to omit Mesut Ozil from the Arsenal squad for last night’s Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham.
Arsenal: Emery says Ozil’s absence against Spurs was ‘tactical’
The Gunners suffered a 2-0 defeat to their bitter rivals at the Emirates thanks to goals from Son Heung Min and Dele Alli.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ozil wasn’t in the starting XI, or the matchday squad for that matter, despite returning to the fold last weekend against Southampton.
His omission prompted fears he suffered a reoccurrence of the back injury which has kept him on the sidelines for the last few weeks.
In his post-match press conference, Emery revealed that wasn’t the case and that Ozil was left out due to ‘tactical’ reasons.
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“I am thinking about the match on Saturday, and not thinking about another situation,” said Emery.
"It’s a tactical decision because I thought that the players that were with us today were the best choices for this match."
Emery’s decision to leave a fully-fit Ozil out of the squad for one of his side’s biggest games of the season has cast doubt over the German’s future at the Emirates.
And the Spaniard has refused to rule out the possibility of the midfielder leaving north London in the near future.
It’s a tactical decision because I thought that the players that were with us today were the best choices for this match
When asked if he’d contemplate offloading Ozil in January, the former Sevilla boss said: "My focus now is analysing this match and also Saturday against Burnley is very important.
"We are going to assess every player, how they are tomorrow in training and for a difficult match against Burnley on Saturday.”
Defeat to Spurs was Arsenal’s second on the bounce and their fourth of the season.
Emery was impressed by his side’s overall performance but was frustrated by their lack of ‘efficiency’.
Arsenal: Emery's decisions are 'questionable' says fan
“I think we worked like we want, like we prepared,” he said. “We created chances in the first half to score but our efficiency wasn’t good for us.
“We didn’t concede a lot for them, but they have quality and they scored. The first one on one for us, Mkhi had his saved. The first for them, they scored.
“I am happy with the performance, but not the result. We are doing our process, they are ahead of us in their process. We need to create our identity.”
Arsenal return to action on Saturday afternoon, welcoming relegation-threatened Burnley to the Emirates.