This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On Thursday, October 3, 2019, Arsenal manager Unai Emery's side secured a 4-0 win over Standard Liege in the Europa League, with teenager Gabriel Martinelli scoring a brace in the process.
However, Mesut Ozil, the former Real Madrid superstar, was left out of the starting lineup, and Emery has now challenged him to fight for a place in the team.
Speaking to the media after the match, Emery emphasized the importance of players working hard to earn their spots in the team.
"I am thinking every time to decide the best players for each match, and the best players in the squad to play and to help us," Emery said.
"If I decided he is not in the squad, it's because I think another player deserved it more," he added.
Pressed on what Ozil must do to regain his place, Emery replied: "Continue working. Tomorrow [Friday], we have training, and Sunday we have another match and we are going to decide the same: the best team possible to achieve our target, which is to win on Sunday and adapt to the difficulty of Bournemouth."
Emery's comments come after Ozil has only played twice this season, in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Watford and last week's 5-0 EFL Cup defeat of Nottingham Forest.
