Emery: Ozil dropped vs. Standard Liege because 'other players deserved it more'

It's safe to say Unai Emery hasn't been impressed with what he's seen from Mesut Ozil of late.

After he surprisingly left Ozil out of the 18-man squad ahead of Arsenal's 4-0 victory over Standard Liege on Thursday, the Spanish manager suggested the German midfielder has fallen down the pecking order behind players who have earned opportunities to play.

"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 told reporters.

"When I decided he shouldn't be in the squad, it's because I think other players deserved it more."

Emery urged Ozil to maintain a strong work ethic behind the scenes in order to regain his spot in the squad.

"He needs to continue working," Emery said. "Tomorrow we have training with the players who didn't play, and on Sunday we have another match, and we are going to decide the same. Our target is to win on Sunday against Bournemouth, and we want to carry on our same way in each match."

Ozil, Arsenal's highest-paid player, has been limited this season after he and teammate Sead Kolasinac were the targets of an apparent robbery attempt in north London in July. He was held out of Arsenal's opening match due to the team's concerns about his safety.

Emery also omitted the 30-year-old from Arsenal's Europa League opener against Eintracht Frankfurt, explaining he wanted to rotate his squad ahead of a busy schedule.

Ozil has only featured in one of Arsenal's matches - a 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the League Cup - since their Sept. 19 win over Eintracht. He was also left out of the matchday squad ahead of Monday's draw with Manchester United due to an apparent tactical decision.