Arsenal head coach Unai Emery has explained why star midfielder Mesut Ozil was not featured in Sunday's Premier League victory against Bournemouth. The former PSG manager led the Gunners to the Vitality Stadium with an own-goal by Lerma and Aubameyang's strike ecuring the win after Josh King had grabbed the equaliser for the host.
Throughout the proceeding, Mesut Ozil could only look on from the bench while his teammates consolidated the Gunners position among the top four clubs. The former Real Madrid stalwart has been subject to criticisms with regards to his work rate in recent times.
Following the end of Sunday's match, Unai Emery explained that his reason for leaving out the German international was merely a tactical one, citing the physicality of Bournemouth's game as what motivated his decision.
"We thought how we can be better in the match, a very demanding match with physicality and intensity,' Emery told a media conference when asked about Ozil's omission.
"But every player is important. We worked today and it is another possibility to improve or find our best performance in the squad.
"At the beginning of the season, we were speaking every day about the need to be competitive. We need to be organized, we need the individual quality to improve our performance.
"It's the same today. It depends. It depends on how the match is going, what the result is. I decided on another option. We knew this is a difficult stadium, a difficult team.
"Seventeen matches we haven't lost, but the last three matches we drew. We know that is not enough for us, for our objectives.
"A lot of matches are coming up - Tottenham, Manchester United. And also we are going to play against teams with the same objectives as us."
Mesut Ozil has so far started 10 of Arsenal's 13 league games and has registered three goals and one assist.
