Arsenal manager Unai Emery insists he is "happy" with Mesut Ozil, despite substituting the midfielder in the 3-2 defeat at Chelsea.
Former boss Arsene Wenger rarely ever withdrew his chief creator while a game was still in the balance. Ozil was taken off just three times in the Premier League last season - with Arsenal already leading by at least two goals on all three occasions - but the German was hooked before the 70 minute mark with the score at 2-2 on Saturday.
Emery has already been praised for showing a ruthlessness in his substitutions that was not often present under Wenger, with the Frenchman preferring to keep faith with his starting XI until at least the 70th minute, barring injury.
At Stamford Bridge, having already dragged holding midfielder Granit Xhaka at half-time, Emery replaced Ozil with Aaron Ramsey as both sides chased a winner, but insisted after the game that the change was purely tactical.
In Pictures | Chelsea vs Arsenal | 18/08/2018
"Today I'm happy with [Ozil] because he worked," the Spaniard said. "I decided to change because, in the middle, we needed a bit more to push and not let Chelsea progress easily with the ball.
"But I'm happy with Mesut. We are going to do with him the same work and helping him, demanding also work every day. But, at the moment, he is doing that and I'm happy."
Xhaka, meanwhile, endured a poor first half, picking up his customary booking and being outshone by his young central midfield partner Matteo Guendouzi, but it was still a surprise when Arsenal emerged from the dressing room with new signing Lucas Torreira stripped and ready to come on.
"It was a tactical decision because he has also the yellow card," Emery said. "We don't take risks with this yellow card and, also, to give the chance to another player we have in the match."
