Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery discusses the ‘brilliant talent’ Mesut Ozil

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Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery has told BBC Sport that in order to get the best out of Mesut Ozil the team must have the right players around him.

Despite leaving him out for several games at the start of the current campaign, Emery also described the German as a brilliant talent.

The Spaniard was sacked in November but he suggested there was no difficult relationship with Ozil.

Emery told BBC Sport: “I’ve had a lot of conversations with Mesut Ozil. He’s a very important player for the team. There are games in which you see Mesut’s brilliance, linking with the attack.

“Also, I had to find players around him so he felt comfortable.

“The team needed to feel solid. When you have to build a team that is aggressive, intense, as well as structured for good pressure, we also had to find space for Mesut as he gives us an important part of the game which is his brilliant talent.”

Emery was slated for his poor tactics which often left Arsenal wide open. His failure to bring in the required players to improve the squad has also been cited as a particular weakness.

Rotation

The former boss claims that he was desperate to find the winning formula, with Ozil the focal point of his attack.

He continued: “I wanted Mesut, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to work together, each one of them with their own characteristics.

“There were times when I had to leave one of them out of the XI.

“Ozil is a very important player if you can find a way to make it work with other players. He has talent that allows other players to be better, but when you want a bit more aggressive pressure he does not have the best qualities for that.”

Ozil arrived at Arsenal for £42 million in 2013, according to BBC Sport.

The 31-year-old has played 242 games for the Gunners scoring 43 goals and registering 76 assists.

He has occasionally been criticised for his work rate by some supporters but he does possess matchwinning qualities.

It’s perhaps quite interesting that Emery believes Ozil needs other players around him to thrive but that’s not uncommon for a player like the German.

Arsenal are a better team with the 92-cap World Cup winner in it and the challenge for Arteta will be to get the best out of Ozil.