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Brendan Rodgers has supported Mikel Arteta in his confrontation with Mesut Ozil.
The Leicester manager is standing behind his fellow Emirates boss as the dispute over the former Germany star continues.
Ozil was omitted from Arsenal’s Premier League team and last week took to social media to talk about his unhappiness, saying: “Loyalty is hard to come by these days.”
When asked if there was any sadness that the 32-year-old was not presenting, the Foxes boss said: “Not really, I would look a lot like Mikel.
“Ozil is a talented player, but it depends on your structure.
“We need each player to contribute to the defensive aspect of the game, as well as the offensive aspect.
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“The team has to operate with only one brain. They have to function and work together.
“There will be teams in which there is more freedom, but less structure.
“Ozil is a wonderful talent and very creative, absolutely. You can make the last pass, but it’s about the team. It is about uniting the individual qualities of the player in the team and if you feel that the player cannot push the game or doesn’t want to push the game, it has an effect on their attack structure and their defensive structure.
“If a person doesn’t do his job, then you can suffer.
“It’s a talent, but, as always with talent, you have to be an active talent.”
Rodgers speaks softly, but there is a steel underneath.
He famously scolded Raheem Sterling when he was boss at Liverpool in front of a crew filming a documentary.
And, after leading Leicester to the Champions League spots last season and with a string of successes behind him at Celtic, Rodgers has clear views.
He added: “I always tell my attacking players: ‘Don’t run forward if you can’t run backward.’
“You have to be able to do the dirty work. This is the highest level in the game, and at that level, you should be able to do both sides. You think of any top team in the world and you think of some of the attacking players.
“If you look at Bayern Munich, the reigning European champions, and you look at Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller, for example, the guys playing on the sides. Look how hard they work.
“Look at Liverpool with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, the work that he puts in. That is what you have to do.
“You cannot take anyone.
“It’s good to have talent, but at the highest level, you have to work with talent if you’re going to play in the big games for the big teams.
Rodgers is sweating over the fitness of Jamie Vardy, once again excluded from the Foxes team that beat Zorya Luhansk 3-0 in the Europa League in the middle of the week with a calf strain.
(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Ulsterman have already experienced Arteta’s Arsenal (teams drew 1-1 at Emirates three months ago) and know what to expect.
Rodgers added: “What Mikel has recognized is the physique in the Premier League. It gets faster and stronger every year.
“He has invested well, he has brought in good players and he has given them a good structure. They have a good base from which to play their game.
“They are very clear about their roles and how they play. It has given them a good organization, a good starting point.
“Basically, to attack well, you need to defend well, and that’s the key.
“They are clear on when to push or when to sit on their defensive block.
“So they have that quality. At Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, they have a world-class striker and there are others too ”.
Was Mikel Arteta okay to leave Mesut Ozil out of his team? Give us your opinion here.
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