Time for Unai Emery to drop these players

1.

Hector Bellerin

Hector Bellerin is now 23 years of age. Although he has been Arsenal’s starting full back for some time, it is easy to sometimes believe he is older than he actually he is. He still has some time to figure this whole right-back malarkey out. But that time is running out.

Now, Bellerin has not had much help and protection from those around him. The midfield has been painfully open, especially against counter-attacks, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who I very nearly included in this list, has not helped him whatsoever.And this has been a poor start to the season once more for the Spaniard. He played admirably against Manchester City and Raheem Sterling, which is a difficult task for even the best of right backs, but Chelsea and West Ham both repeatedly targeted his flank and got great joy from doing so — West Ham’s sole goal came from that side; Chelsea scored two of their goals directly in behind an exposed Bellerin.

That said, Bellerin is still playing nowhere near the level that he was when he first broke into the first team. At first, there was an ankle injury. Then there was the Arsene Wenger influence. But now, the excuses are running out and the performances aren’t improving. Bellerin is the consistent, common denominator.


2.Mesut Ozil

 I do not know if Ozil was genuinely ill when he missed the match against West Ham United on Saturday afternoon. I do not know if the reports of a training ground bust-up between him and Unai Emery are true. But whatever truly went on, ultimately, it doesn’t change the fact that Ozil has some convincing to do.

Let’s just lay out the narrative of this season so far. Ozil played poorly against Manchester City. Emery then publicly called him out for his lack of application before the match against Chelsea. After seeing nothing had changed, he then substituted Ozil midway through the second half — the fact that most fans seemed happy with the change tells you everything you need to know. And then, Ozil mysteriously misses last weekend’s match against West Ham.

  

3. Granit Xhaka

Xhaka is now under pressure to execute the high-energy, pressing scheme that Emery wants to implement at the club. His defensive reading of the game will be tested. His athleticism, or lack thereof, will be questioned. The influence he has on matches must stem further than a nice looking pass every now and then.

So far, Xhaka has proven himself largely unable to adapt to Emery’s higher tempo style, especially without the ball. He was routinely exploited by City on the opening weekend, he struggled to cover ground against a mobile Chelsea defence the week after, and here, he was unsure whether to press or drop off for West Ham’s goal, in the end doing neither. He needs to be dropped.