Mesut Ozil has insisted Arsenal must remain 'together' in the wake of the controversial instance involving Granit Xhaka and the club's fanbase during the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Upon being substituted, Xhaka's slow trudge off of the pitch with the scores level quickly turned from ironic jeering to incessant booing from the Gunners supporters, which prompted the Swiss to hold his arms aloft, cup his ears and tell the fans to 'f**k off'.
With the situation at the club now reaching boiling point, the players have to set aside the divide that currently exists between the club and its fans as they travel to Liverpool on Wednesday for their Carabao Cup round of 16 clash at Anfield.
Ozil is included in the squad for the match, unlike club captain Xhaka, in what could be just his third appearance in all competitions this season - while there are also suggestions he may captain the side in the north-west.
In a bid to galvanise the fans and offer his support to Xhaka, the 31-year-old posted a message on his official Instagram account: "Big game ahead. No matter what - the only way is standing together as one."
While there is enormous discontent from sections of the Arsenal fans regarding the Xhaka situation, Unai Emery has equally come under heavy criticism this season for a perceived lack of an on-field tactical system or direction, as the Gunners sit fifth in the Premier League table with 16 points from ten matches.
One of the issues fans have with the manager has been the freezing out of top-earner Ozil, although Emery revealed he has sat down with the German to discuss his role in the team, and opened the door for a possible outing against Liverpool.
"It was a very good conversation. Tomorrow he is in the group," Emery said in his press conference, as quoted by the Mirror. "We need his quality, his skill. We need his consistency. We need his positive mentality. Then we need him to help us on the pitch. I want now like in the pre-season, like a month ago, for him to help us on the pitch."
While in regards to Ozil wearing the captain's armband, Emery replied: "He could be yes."
Source :
90min