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Unai Emery must give in to demands of supporters and hand Mesut Ozil a start against Chelsea this weekend.

The playmaker was left out of the squad to face West Ham on Saturday, but is back to fitness and could prove integral in the club's hopes of beating the Blues.

On the chalkboard

Ozil has been in and out of the team under Emery, but the Gunners have struggled without him.

They fell to a dismal 1-0 defeat against West Ham at the weekend, in which they had just two shots on target.

A 4-1 win over Fulham preceded that game - Ozil was injured, while he also missed the 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool.

The last time he played 90 minutes came against Burnley, in a match in which he was also given the captaincy, and Arsenal won 3-1.

The Gunners are set to host Chelsea this weekend, and they would be wise to reinstate the German into the team.

Jorginho has been struggling in central midfield for the Blues - so much so that Maurizio Sarri claimed, per The Sun, that he would have substituted the Italian during the 2-1 win over Newcastle United had Cesc Fabregas been in the squad.

Deploying Ozil in the line-up would go a long way to enhancing the Gunners' chances by running Jorginho ragged.

Support for Lacazette & Aubameyang

Alexandre Lacazette struggled immensely against West Ham.

The France international had just one shot on target, as he was smothered by the Hammers' backline.

Without Ozil in the team, he was not presented with a single clear-cut chance, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suffered a similar fate.

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The two players are incredibly similar in their attributes, and the Gabon international managed just three shots and he, again, hit the target just once.

Reintroducing Ozil into the side and deploying him in the No.10 role he so adores, is essential if Emery wants the Gunners to outscore the Blues this weekend.

Sarri's side have stuttered in recent weeks too, and marginal gains could be key; Ozil could prove to be the match winner.