Former Arsenal star, Alan Smith has expressed that accommodating Mesut Ozil in Arsenal squad will be Unai Emery’s biggest tactical conundrum.
The former German international signed a new deal last February after threatening to walk away from the club on a free transfer.
Ozil was rewarded with the most lucrative contract in the club’s history.
The arrival of Emery as a replacement for Arsene Wenger has prompted a slight change in Arsenal’s formation.
Ozil’s position has also been changed as he was stationed out on the right wing during last weekend’s defeat against Manchester City.
The former Sevilla coach wants to implement a high-energy pressing game and Smith is struggling to see where Ozil, as well as Henrikh Mkhitaryan fit in.
“The new manager has a liking for getting his attackers to aggressively close down,’ he told the Evening Standard.
“Can Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, for instance, do that in the way Carlos Bacca and Kevin Gameiro did so successfully for Emery at Sevilla?
“Ozil, for one, could turn into a major problem. After being awarded a ludicrously lucrative contract last season, the languid German almost demands inclusion.
“That’s fine when he’s in the mood, pulling the strings with that wonderful eye for an opening.
“It won’t sit so comfortably if his passing gets sloppy, as it did against City, and he drifts to the edges of a contest.”
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