Unai Emery: Adios

[Notorious Big]

Competing with Ferguson United is at very least the equal competition as we face now. I would argue it is even more difficult back then against Ferguson than its now.

1 opponent is tougher than 5 opponents ?

We didn't play against Utd 8 times in a season ffs.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

We had better squad than this one for the most of the time.RVP,Fabregas,Nasri,Arshavin,Toure etc.

Really,until 2016,it was easier to get top 4 than now for Arsenal.

Cesc and Nasri were gone by 2011. RvP a year later. Arshavin was in decline by then as well. Dont' even remember when Toure left tbh. Wenger had some exceptional players, but we always lamented squad depth.

It may be harder to get top 4 now, but that is I think because the gap between 6th (the "big 6") and the mid-table looks to be growing with a lot of points being picked up by all the big 6 (and just look at the goal difference from the top 6 and how it drops off immediately after that - same thing happened last year too). Tougher to get into the top 4, but also feeding higher point totals for everyone in the chase I think.

Its a different landscape that before, and Unai is doing well within it so far.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

1 opponent is tougher than 5 opponents ?

We didn't play against Utd 8 times in a season ffs.

Yeah. Fergusons United back then is more difficult than teams we face now.

 

[Notorious Big]

Yeah. Fergusons United back then is more difficult than teams we face now.

Maybe,but there wasn't any competition to stop us to be in top 4 and squad was way better than this.

 

[Mo Britain]

There isn't a Big Six, this is media fiction. There's a Big One. Liverpool are doing extremely well to battle for the title, but they are in a group of five teams which includes us. It is impossible to compete regularly with Man City while they continue to spend huge amounts "within" FFP rules by creative accounting.

 

[Notorious Big]

Cesc and Nasri were gone by 2011. RvP a year later. Arshavin was in decline by then as well. Dont' even remember when Toure left tbh. Wenger had some exceptional players, but we always lamented squad depth.

It may be harder to get top 4 now, but that is I think because the gap between 6th (the "big 6") and the mid-table looks to be growing with a lot of points being picked up by all the big 6 (and just look at the goal difference from the top 6 and how it drops off immediately after that - same thing happened last year too). Tougher to get into the top 4, but also feeding higher point totals for everyone in the chase I think.

Its a different landscape that before, and Unai is doing well within it so far.

We weren't happy when that squad finished in top 4 because we were in fight for title for the most of the time.I know that Chelsea and Utd were probably better teams in that time,but we had chances in some seasons.

It was tough for Wenger in last two seasons,but same goes for Emery now.Not so good squad and more competition.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Maybe,but there wasn't any competition to stop us to be in top 4 and squad was way better than this.

Or squad now is fine. Top4 material.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

There isn't a Big Six, this is media fiction. There's a Big One. Liverpool are doing extremely well to battle for the title, but they are in a group of five teams which includes us. It is impossible to compete regularly with Man City while they continue to spend huge amounts "within" FFP rules by creative accounting.

The gap between the top 6 teams and the rest is substantial. Look at the points and goal difference of the top 6 vs the teams 7th and below

https://www.premierleague.com/tables?co=1&se=210&ha=-1

Now start moving back in years, it was quite similar last year but moving back from that shows how it is becoming much more stark. Of course, it could all change again moving forward.

 

[Notorious Big]

Or squad now is fine. Top4 material.

Wenger didn't achieve that in last two seasons.Squad problem or manager problem ?

 

[Mo Britain]

The gap between the top 6 teams and the rest is substantial. Look at the points and goal difference of the top 6 vs the teams 7th and below

https://www.premierleague.com/tables?co=1&se=210&ha=-1

Now start moving back in years, it was quite similar last year but moving back from that shows how it is becoming much more stark. Of course, it could all change again moving forward.

I don't disagree. But the gap between 1st and 2nd is comparable to that between 6th and 7th.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

We weren't happy when that squad finished in top 4 because we were in fight for title for the most of the time.I know that Chelsea and Utd were probably better teams in that time,but we had chances in some seasons.

It was tough for Wenger in last two seasons,but same goes for Emery now.Not so good squad and more competition.

More competition now, but I think this year's squad is improved over what Wenger had in his last two seasons if you consider Laca was only here for one of those, and Auba for only half of one. Both much more settled this season (which you can credit Emery for in part). Then add in Torreira, Sokratis and Leno, plus the likes of Guendouzi as depth, etc. Wenger had Alexis of course be he fell off pretty hard in his last 18 months or so here, and Per was on his last legs in Wenger's final years too.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

I don't disagree. But the gap between 1st and 2nd is comparable to that between 6th and 7th.

Yeah we'll see if we revert to that or if it can stay close at the top next year.

 

[Notorious Big]

More competition now, but I think this year's squad is improved over what Wenger had in his last two seasons if you consider Laca was only here for one of those, and Auba for only half of one. Both much more settled this season (which you can credit Emery for in part). Then add in Torreira, Sokratis and Leno, plus the likes of Guendouzi as depth, etc. Wenger had Alexis of course be he fell off pretty hard in his last 18 months or so here, and Per was on his last legs in Wenger's final years too.

I agree with that,but we can't prove that Wenger would do anything better/worse with this players.We just wanted to see something new with different manager.

We compare period of 10 years with different players and teams and how they should perform in those times.I just said it was easier in some seasons.

 

[squallman]

The way I see it, we haven't had a good squad for 11 years (2008 vintage) and even that was questionable because of Almunia and the likes of Eboue/Diaby out wide.

Lets be real, we constantly complained back then about the lack of quality in the side.

Almunia in goal. Song/Denilson in midfield. Chamakh as RVP's back up. Theo blowing warm and cold. Squillaci, Silvestre, Santos, Eboue as our back up RB (thank the lord Sagna was usually fit as a fiddle). Rosicky who only bothered to turn up 3 or 4 times a year after he came back. Arshavin who stopped trying after one season.

Our expectations were ridiculously high when you look at what that squad was. Wenger did amazing to get that lot into the top 4 and don't let anyone fool you into thinking it was a cake walk either.

Chelsea and United were at their best, Liverpool under Benitez weren't slouches and as much as I hate to say it Sp**s under Redknapp with Bale and Modric weren't mugs either. City had just started rolling as well. Even the midtable sides were better. Newcastle, Villa under Martin O'Neil and Moyes' Everton side.

Even the side that lost to Leicester wasn't very good. I was tearing my hair out over the fact that we didn't buy anyone besides Cech. Who I thought was well past it as well. Cech in goal, Giroud up front, Coquelin in midfield backed up by two geriatrics. Sanogo and Debuchy as back ups. Mertesacker who admitted he lost his motivation for football.

We should have won the league that year, not those players but Arsenal FC should have won it, if we had done what we were supposed to do and brought in players.

 

[Notorious Big]

That's harsh.Every teams has few crap players.We weren't any different in those times.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Wenger didn't achieve that in last two seasons.Squad problem or manager problem ?

Both. We had good squad that needed manager who would have more of a game plan and coach tactics to improve.

 

[Notorious Big]

Both. We had good squad that needed manager who would have more of a game plan and coach tactics to improve.

 

[squallman]

That's harsh.Every teams has few crap players.We weren't any different in those times.

Look at the teams United and Chelsea were fielding then get back to me. Our teams back then were a distant 3rd to their teams overall when it came to quality. Having the 3rd best squad in the country and finishing 3rd/4th most seasons was to be expected.

Also, don't fall for the United were crap and SAF was the only reason they won titles propaganda that United fans like to push.

That man had the most expensive and best squad in England to work with until Chelsea rolled into town and even after that he still had the best Europe had to offer.

As an aside I was always amazed at how United fans bemoaned their midfield in Ferguson's later years, calling it garbage and all the rest. Then at the same time talked about how underrated the likes of Scholes, Fletcher and Carrick were. Two of whom were deemed to be absolutely world class midfielders that should have had bigger roles for England. How can your midfield be garbage but simultaneously consist of underrated players who you view as world class?

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Yeah but honestly Wenger could also have done same this season as Emery has done.

Hopefully Emery can really improve on Wenger and make us competitive for the PL title in next two years.

 

[Jury]

Competing with Ferguson United is at very least the equal competition as we face now. I would argue it is even more difficult back then against Ferguson than its now.

Wenger built great squad with great players withoug much money. Hopefully Emery can simulate that.

Stop talking bollocks please mate. It's 2019, not 1998.