Unai Emery on Mesut Ozil's Absence for Arsenal: 'Other Players Deserve It More'

Mesut Ozil is being left out of Arsenal squads because "other players deserve it more," according to head coach Unai Emery.

Ozil was left out of the matchday group for the Gunners' 4-0 win over Standard Liege in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. It followed his omission from Monday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League.

Speaking after the game, Emery was defiant about his decision but did offer some hope for Ozil's attempts to regain his place, per Football.London's James Benge: "I am thinking every time the best players for the match. When I decided he isn't in the squad it's because other players deserve it more. What does he have to do? Continue working. Sunday we have another match. We are going to decide again."

Whether anyone believes hard work will be enough for Ozil to finally win Emery over is another matter. The Spaniard has never taken to the club's highest-earner.

Before dropping him for the last two matches, Emery left Ozil on the bench for a 3-2 win at home to Aston Villa in September. He also withdrew the schemer 71 minutes into a 5-0 victory against Nottingham Forest in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Those incidents are part of a pattern of Emery being comfortable fielding teams that don't include the player who cost £42.4 million when he arrived from Real Madrid back in 2013:

Emery had already shown a desire to move on from Ozil last season. He questioned his physical aptitude for tough away games and wasn't shy about pointing out the Gunners can win without the schemer.

At the root of the fractious relationship is Emery inheriting Ozil from a previous regime. Arsene Wenger signed Ozil, and the Frenchman was a manager who placed a premium on technical quality, often arguably at the expense of graft and defensive solidity.

Emery isn't quite at the other end of the spectrum, but he is more focused on improving the physical attributes of the Arsenal squad. It's been about encouraging greater energy and aggression in pressing for the possession all over the pitch.

As a languid and patient creator, Ozil's core game is at odds with the industry Emery wants to help lead the press in the advanced areas of midfield. Instead, Emery has preferred to use a tenacious runner like Lucas Torreira in Ozil's position:

It's looking increasingly like a split would benefit both club and player. Arsenal are reportedly willing to let Ozil go, either permanently or on loan, during the January transfer window, according Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail.

Finding a suitor able to take on Ozil's £350,000 weekly wage is likely to be a problem. Even so, Emery and the Gunners appear increasingly prepared to test the market and see who might be interested in a player who remains out of favour.

Arsenal have a number of seemingly winnable fixtures coming up, including Sunday's game against Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium. If Ozil is still persona non grata, Emery will have made another emphatic statement about the 30-year-old's future at the club.