Mikel Arteta accepts responsibility for not getting the best out of Mesut Ozil at Arsenal.
The German was excluded from Arsenal’s Premier League squad for the season and this has riled up some outrage from the fans.
Arteta has been partly transparent about the decision, even though he has ticked it off to be due to footballing reasons. Ozil publicly stated his disappointment with the club and specifically pointed out how it may have been due to him speaking up against social injustice.
“Everybody is free to express their feelings,” Arteta said in response to the German’s comments. “It was just a football decision and my conscience is very calm because I have been really fair with him.
“My level of communication with him has been high, we know what to expect with each other. He has had the opportunities like everybody else. I’m sad that I had to leave three players out of this list but I tried to look everybody in the eye and be comfortable with it.
“With Mesut, I have this feeling because I have been very straight forward since I arrived at this club. It’s nothing related to [Ozil’s] behaviour. It’s my decision.”
“My job is to get the best out of every player to contribute to the team performance,” Arteta continued. “At the moment I feel that I have failed because I want the best possible Mesut for the team.
“In some moments I was able to get close to that but at the moment I haven’t been able to do it. This is the reality and we have to face it. The best way is to talk things through face-to-face. I take full responsibility, I have to be the one getting the best out of the players.”
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