Paper Round: Mesut Ozil put in his place by Unai Emery

Unai Emery has refused to deny that he tried to sign Mesut Ozil last year when he was manager of Paris Saint-Germain. However, he has been clear that he expects more from Ozil and his other players for the rest of the season. In a press conference before the weekend’s games, he said that Ozil will have to play where asked in order to help the team get results it needs.

Paper Round’s view: This is a change in attitude at Arsenal. In the past, Arsene Wenger created a permissive culture which allowed players to drift and largely do what they wanted. Emery, however, seems to rule with much more discipline. That might not be a problem where Ozil is concerned, because he played his best with a similarly demanding Jose Mourinho when they were both at Real Madrid.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has told goalkeeper Simon Mignolet that if he has any problems with life at the club then he should come directly to him, and not speak to the press. Mignolet complained it was ‘bizarre’ that Loris Karius was allowed to leave on a two-year loan deal and claimed that a similar deal was denied to him. However Klopp did not appear to be too upset by the complaint.

Paper Round’s view: As Klopp pointed out, Mignolet is human and will react if he feels he is being treated unfairly. Mignolet is an ambitious goalkeeper, so being dropped to number two will be frustrating for him. Klopp, though, is also right that it is preferable for players to keep their problems inside the club instead of unsettling the team by talking to the press.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has asked fans to be patient after it was suggested that they play their Carabao Cup tie against Watford away from Wembley. Wembley is booked for that Wednesday night for boxing, so Spurs have suggested playing at the MK Dons ground in Milton Keynes, which some fans believe is too far to travel. Pochettino said: “Maybe someone complain and create a big noise. But we need to make a decision that is best for the team. The circumstances are so difficult.”

Paper Round’s view: Spurs fans might have a legitimate complaint if they were being asked to travel miles out of their way for a league game, or a Champions League fixture, but this is a Carabao Cup match - the two sides will probably both play a reserve side and care little about the result. While the move to the new ground has been delayed and that must be an annoyance, in the grand scheme of things this doesn’t matter.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan may not be able to feature in the Europa League final, if the club get that far. The match will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, and there may also be problems for Mkhitaryan in playing against Azeri side Qarabag FK, a group stage opponent of Arsenal. Because of poor relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Mkhitaryan’s country, it may be difficult for him to be allowed into the country.

Paper Round’s view: Fortunatey for Arsenal, they should have the players to defeat Qarabag without having to call on Mkhitaryan, and it may be a hassle best avoided in that circumstance. However, if they were to get to the final then his attendance would be much more important. You would expect that he would be granted permission to play, but geopolitics can alter quickly in the current climate.