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What's the news?
After the 3-0 win against BATE Borisov, Arsenal manager Unai Emery revealed that he urged Mesut Ozil to remain fit and available for the team more regularly. The Arsenal boss praised Ozil's potential and skill, claiming that he was happy with the German's overall performance.
In case you didn't know...
Arsenal qualified for the Europa League round-of-16 as they beat BATE Borisov 3-0 in the second leg of their round-of-32 encounter. The win ensured a 3-1 aggregate victory for the Londoners, who lost the first leg 1-0 at the Borisov Arena last week.
The Gunners got the lead through Zakhar Volkov's own goal in the fourth minute and Skhordan Mustafa doubled their advantage just six minutes before the half time break. Defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos was also among the goalscorers for Unai Emery's team as he scored the third goal in the 60th minute of the game.
Mesut Ozil also made his return to Arsenal's starting XI during the game and played full 90 minutes for the first time since December 2018. The 30-year old looked lively on the pitch and showed glimpses of his enormous talent.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to the journalists after the game, Unai Emery reveals that he urged Mesut Ozil to remain fit and carry on like this.
He said (via football.london):
"Well. I said to him carry on, be available like today, like the last two weeks for continuing training and to continue helping us.
Today I am happy, it was like what we want from him."
He also revealed that the German will be rotated in the team as per certain requirements.
"Today he showed us he wants. If he is available like the last two weeks, we are going to play a lot of matches. Maybe sometimes we need him to start, maybe he can be on the bench because we have other players to help us.
But his experience like today is good. his quality and capacity and skills in the combinations with some players is good, like Matteo, with Mkhi, with Iwobi."
What's next?
Arsenal are scheduled to play Southampton and Bournemouth at home next in the league before squaring off against their city-rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on March 2.
