Unai Emery revealed he didn’t use Mesut Ozil against Bournemouth as he thought the German would struggle to cope up with the physicality and the intensity of the game.
Arsenal maintained their unbeaten run intact as they shrugged off the Cherries challenge quite comfortably. Jefferson Lerma’s own goals had the home side on the back foot for the initial period but Cherries kept on the pressure and they were eventually rewarded as Josh King reduced the deficit just before the interval.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed a crucial three points with a winner in the 67th minute as the Gunner moved into one point of the top four. Ozil was a surprising omission from the starting lineup but the Gunners never really missed him as the playmaker witnessed the win from the bench.
Emery said, “We thought how we can be better in the match today, which is very demanding with the physicality and the intensity, but every player is important.
“[Bringing Ozil on] depended on how the match was going, how it is going in the 90 minutes, and I decided for another option. In the beginning of the season we were speaking every day about being organised and competitive – and it’s the same today.
“Also today we tried with three centre backs like we’ve done at some stages this season, and it’s another possibility for us to improve and find our best performance.”
