PL: Arsenal v Manchester City | August 12th, 2018 16:00 BST | Sky Sports

[Kobi]

It's obvious why most of these guys criticizing the style are very average managers themselves or never had a career in coaching.

Unai wants to play a certain way and it takes time to get that right, but the only way to improve is by doing it no matter what and not abandon it at the first failure. Just imagine Unai telling the lads 'Yeah, we want to press and play from the back, but not against City because I'm scared of them, and well maybe not against Chelsea either. Let's try it when we play Huddersfield at home in two months'.

I agree to an extent and as someone who wanted change I am more than willing to be patient with the manager and the shift in philosophy, it isn't something which is going to be perfected overnight.
Having said that I do have a few grievances, firstly if you going to play high risk passing football from the back against a team managed by the best conductor of the press, probably ever, why are we starting a goalkeeper who has a panic attack every time the ball comes near him and two clumsy centre backs?

Obviously the first one is easily remedied, Leno looked very good with his feet in pre-season.
However the second one is more annoying, the signing of Sokratis (age aside) seems completely at odds with what the manager needs, no idea if Sven got wind of a Dortmund player being available and just bombed off and signed him on his own or what.
It means we now have until at least January passing out from the back and defending with a high line with two slow, smallish defenders who aren't great on the ball.

Surely we should have gone for a centre back in the mould of Pique or Stones who can play a bit, even if they're raw, even if they make mistakes taking risks at least they would fit in with what we are trying to do long term.
Even take a risk and convert a midfielder, Pep does it it regularly, Toure (at Barca), Mascherano, Javi Martinez, if you are going to play this way defenders who are good on the ball is a must.

 

[TakeChillPill]

I think people are being far too critical. Man City are a well oiled machine, won the league by 19 bloody points last year and have just added Mahrez!

For me it's clear Emery's ideas are going to work, but he's still trying to workout his best starting 11. It was quite clear that it was the personnel rather than tactics that were the main issue.

1. Cech cant play out of the back.
2. Xhaka too slow in transition and releasing the ball.
3. Ramesy struggled as a No.10

Solution:

1. Play Leno, very comfortable on the ball
2. Play Torreria
3. Put PEA on the left, stick Laca upfront, Özil No.10 and Mikhi outwide.

Emery just didnt have the right players on the pitch to execute his plan. But we have the players to do it. Douzi, is going to be key for us this season, in Emery's style of play (carrying the ball and passing forward).
I hope his rate of development continues, age doesn't matter if you're good enough. Remember Jack, Cesc, Bellerin, Ashley Cole.

 

[SomGooner]

I guess Man City were playing this great the minute Pep joined, and people suddenly expect Emry to do the same.

 

[celestis]

It's obvious why most of these guys criticizing the style are very average managers themselves or never had a career in coaching.

Unai wants to play a certain way and it takes time to get that right, but the only way to improve is by doing it no matter what and not abandon it at the first failure. Just imagine Unai telling the lads 'Yeah, we want to press and play from the back, but not against City because I'm scared of them, and well maybe not against Chelsea either. Let's try it when we play Huddersfield at home in two months'.

Yup completely agree , nothing lasting in football comes easy . I do wonder though whether we have to spend money on ball playing CB's because not sure Mustafi and Sokratis have the quality to do it for 90 mins . Mavropanos isn't very good on the ball either .

 

[Vinci]

I agree to an extent and as someone who wanted change I am more than willing to be patient with the manager and the shift in philosophy, it isn't something which is going to be perfected overnight.
Having said that I do have a few grievances, firstly if you going to play high risk passing football from the back against a team managed by the best conductor of the press, probably ever, why are we starting a goalkeeper who has a panic attack every time the ball comes near him and two clumsy centre backs?

Leno will get his chance, but for now it's about weighing the pros and cons I think. Cech knows the league, is familiar with the other players and Leno isn't yet. Even though Leno is better with his feet.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

I guess Man City were playing this great the minute Pep joined, and people suddenly expect Emry to do the same.

Took Arteta a year to perfect the playing style for City. And oh yeah Pep had to spend something around 400+ millions for Arteta to get it right, a luxury we don't have! So we need to be extra patient with Emery!

 

[Mo Britain]

Yup completely agree , nothing lasting in football comes easy . I do wonder though whether we have to spend money on ball playing CB's because not sure Mustafi and Sokratis have the quality to do it for 90 mins . Mavropanos isn't very good on the ball either .

Mavropanos has physical presence and attitude. If he is given a chance he will become our best central defender.

Leno will play at some point. You don't pay £20 million quid for a keeper to have him on the bench - at least Arsenal don't.

 

[celestis]

Mavropanos has physical presence and attitude. If he is given a chance he will become our best central defender.

Leno will play at some point. You don't pay £20 million quid for a keeper to have him on the bench - at least Arsenal don't.

Don't disagree with you there , it's just whether they are good enough to play out from the back .

 

[Ceballinhos]

Don't disagree with you there , it's just whether they are good enough to play out from the back .

The thing is CB that have great passing abilities are VERY expensive.
City has spent ridiculous amount of money to get Stones and Laporte.

If you want that kind of CB we will either have to find an unheard gem and develop it or spend £40M+ per CB.

 

[SomGooner]

Took Arteta a year to perfect the playing style for City. And oh yeah Pep had to spend something around 400+ millions for Arteta to get it right, a luxury we don't have! So we need to be extra patient with Emery!

Exactly.

Reading some comments in this thread would make you think that Pep hit the ground running and City won everything.

Our squad is still full average at best and will take sometime for Emry to get rid of some of them and bring in the players that he wants which like you put it requires extra bit of patience.

 

[JimmyTheMac]

I like Emery a lot and I like his ideas. I remember watching Peps first game in charge of city . It was against David Moyes' horrendous Sunderland team. City got a last minute winner to win 2-1 and it was an extremely disjointed performance.
I'm willing to give emery a free pass this season and hopefully by the end of it there's evident progress and improvement in the team. I do hope however , that especially in the big matches under him we are more emerys Sevilla rather than emerys PSG, who froze in many big matches and were literally a rich mans arsenal.
His Sevilla sides were tactical, hardworking and ballsy and I hope we can be a similar, if better, version of them.

 

[Sanchez11]

Its going to take 2-3 transfer windows to get HIS team together.

 

[NieThePiet]

Looks like we are fit.

 

[Mo Britain]

The thing is CB that have great passing abilities are VERY expensive.
City has spent ridiculous amount of money to get Stones and Laporte.

If you want that kind of CB we will either have to find an unheard gem and develop it or spend £40M+ per CB.

There are not enough of them and we're not high up enough in the pecking order.

So make sure midfielders and full-backs make themselves available for easy passes from the centre-backs.

 

[A Lighter Shade of Blue]

There are not enough of them and we're not high up enough in the pecking order.

So make sure midfielders and full-backs make themselves available for easy passes from the centre-backs.

Arsenal are still a huge name in the footballing world, and players on the continent couldn't have failed to notice what Emery did with unfancied Sevilla, I don't think you'd find it too difficult to sign some very decent players for centre back, even if it means signing and bedding in some youngsters.

Rome wasn't built in a day. It took us 4 years after the takeover to win a title while spending ridiculous sums of money, and it took 4 more years after 2014 to win another.

 

[Makingtrax]

Don't disagree with you there , it's just whether they are good enough to play out from the back .

There’s sound science behind playing out from the back.

A study of 3200 goal kicks in the MLS showed that only 33% of kicks into the opposition half resulted in possession being kept. Throwing or kicking the ball to defenders in close proximity lead to a 95% completion rate.

Pep and Emery know these things. Sam Allardyce is clearly more interested in dodgy deals.

 

[Mo Britain]

Arsenal are still a huge name in the footballing world, and players on the continent couldn't have failed to notice what Emery did with unfancied Sevilla, I don't think you'd find it too difficult to sign some very decent players for centre back, even if it means signing and bedding in some youngsters.

Rome wasn't built in a day. It took us 4 years after the takeover to win a title while spending ridiculous sums of money, and it took 4 more years after 2014 to win another.

They were different days. We are not as huge a name as we were 10 years ago. Money is king and the likelihood given our ownership is that we will fall further behind teams like City and be overtaken by other teams with financial backing.

It's all very well being the 10th biggest team in the world or whatever but when 5 of the 9 ahead of you are in your own league you struggle to win anything and even qualify for CL, which pushes you further down.

 

[Penn_]

Didn’t watch much of pre-season but has the pressing from the from three been a common theme or a one off because of City’s back three?

 

[Gegen Pressing]

...
Pep and Emery know these things. Sam Allardyce is clearly more interested in ..

MLS (Most League Sackings)

 

[celestis]

The thing is CB that have great passing abilities are VERY expensive.
City has spent ridiculous amount of money to get Stones and Laporte.

If you want that kind of CB we will either have to find an unheard gem and develop it or spend £40M+ per CB.

Exactly why I asked , Unai wants us to play out from the back, Guardiola had to spend big money to make it work (unless you convert a DM into a CB.) . You can't make it work with effectively with blokes who aren't accomplished.