Roy Keane has told Sky Sports (01/11/20 at 1:15 pm) that Mesut Ozil should be ‘fit to play’ in Mikel Arteta’s system for Arsenal after Tim Cahill claimed that’s a reason behind his recent snub.
Cahill labelled the playmaker as a ‘world-class’ midfielder but thinks Arteta left him out of his 25-man Premier League squad because Ozil cannot play with the ‘high intensity’ his manager wants his Arsenal players to play with for 90 minutes.
It’s quite clear that there is no way back for Ozil at Arsenal now unless there is some serious turnaround during these coming months.
Before Arsenal’s win against Manchester United yesterday, both Cahill and Keane shared their thoughts on the Ozil situation.
“I think with Ozil people are talking about his ability and character,” Cahill told Sky Sports. “But when you look at Arteta’s style, the way he plays. He likes the high press. He likes his players to be fit.
“I would look at it possibly can Ozil play for 90 odd minutes and have that high intensity? I wouldn’t look at it as an ability because he has given every player a chance. The whole ethos of what we are trying to look for, I am looking at it from an ex-player or a coaches role and that’s is he fit enough to play in this high-intensity game?
Keane added: “If you are saying he’s not fit enough then that’s not a good sign for a footballer. He should be fit. He should be fit to play in any system.
Cahill responded: “Roy, that’s a non-negotiable. I agree with you. But the key element is it his attitude? Is it something else? But with Mikel, you talk about Xhaka. You talk about all these players, who have been given a second and third chance. The key here is he’s a world-class midfielder who cannot get into the team. So, I am looking for something different.”
Arteta should be applauded for the manner in which he has dealt with this situation because he is being ruthless.
Over the years, whilst Arsene Wenger will go down as a Premier League great, he was too loyal to his Arsenal players which ended up proving to be costly.
During his early days as a manager, Arteta has proven that if he feels you are not pulling your weight then you’re not just out of the starting XI, but out of the squad altogether.
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