Can Arsenal afford to keep leaving Ozil out?

They looked short of ideas without him

Unai Emery stuck his neck out with his Arsenal team selection against West Ham United on Saturday.

The big talking point before kick-off was that Mesut Ozil had been out of the squad entirely. But the bold call didn’t work out as the manager hoped.

Arsenal limped to a 1-0 loss at the London Stadium. They didn’t even manage to hit a shot on target after Declan Rice’s goal early in the second half.

With a top-four spot looking increasingly distant at 5/1, they have a crucial game against Chelsea this weekend. Is it time to bring Ozil back into the fold?

Why has he been left out?

Ozil is one of the most gifted creative players in world football. But he needs the licence to roam to be at his best. The issue is that Emery wants Arsenal to play as a solid unit, with everyone doing their bit defensively.

The Gunners aren’t solid enough at the back to carry anyone defensively, no matter how talented they are.

The ex-Paris Saint-Germain boss gave the playmaker chances to impress in the first few months of the season. He even named Ozil as one of his five dressing room leaders.

But it seems like he’s now seen enough. The former Real Madrid star was left out of the squad for the Carabao Cup quarter-final with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. He was hauled off at half-time in the Boxing Day draw with Brighton & Hove Albion too.

The 30-year-old doesn’t provide what Emery wants, so he isn’t being picked.