Unai Emery: Adios

[Penn_]

It’s a football forum, generally people do nothing but.

Sometimes it’s unwarranted though. Aren’t people allowed to say that?

Of course some of its unwarranted.

Just don’t like that attitude that Emery is some sort of god and we should follow him blindly.

 

[ClubLevel]

Thought we looked very balanced against Chelsea with the right players in the right positions so hope he sticks with that now. Guendouzi looked much better in a three/four man midfield than a two man midfield and it brought a good balance.

A few things to mention - Injuries has played a part this season meaning change in formation and/or square pegs in round holes which sometimes works out and sometimes doesn't. Also in the run up to Christmas the team played a lot of games and I think because the team has worked harder this season the squad got fatigued and couldn't play with the same intensity every game, especially when your missing defenders, midfielders etc. Even Auba/Laca can't start every game together when your playing 2 games a week as if one gets injured the other is carrying the attack so in this respect I do think Emery hasn't got the squad he wants (I would guess another forward of quality would help him play two up top) so will take a window or two to sort that out.

 

[pacstud]

Just don’t like that attitude that Emery is some sort of god and we should follow him blindly.

Strawman argument...no one is claiming this.

 

[Makingtrax]

Of course some of its unwarranted.

Just don’t like that attitude that Emery is some sort of god and we should follow him blindly.

Very true. But not sure how waiting a reasonable amount of time to see how he does, is following him blindly.

 

[Makingtrax]

Imagine that hey Traxxy... Injuries prohibiting our season's performance. Not like Wenger had to deal with constant injuries ey

Yeah . Constant carping about him overplaying them, not warming up properly, useless medical staff.

Non of that now, maybe people are realising that most injuries are just chance.

 

[A_G]

Imagine that hey Traxxy... Injuries prohibiting our season's performance. Not like Wenger had to deal with constant injuries ey

Read about how Wenger handled Isaac Hayden's injury and then say that.

 

[say yes]

Best piece I’ve read so far on Emery’s start in North London. Should be read by everyone on this forum, not least by the football manager experts on here who are already convinced Emery isn’t good enough for us.

Arsenal are very fortunate to have a head coach with Unai Emery’s brains, dignity and decisiveness. Given the myriad issues at the Emirates Stadium, ranging from an absentee owner, confusion in the executive and technical structure, an imbalanced, under-resourced squad and a colossal fan base that, in parts, is demanding to the point of deafening, Emery’s calmness, sense of purpose and direction are even more important.

The 47-year-old from Spain, who took over from Arsène Wenger last May, is the man with the plan, and there have been too few of these leadership figures at Arsenal over the past decade. That is why Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates gleamed with significance. Post-mortem examinations focused more on the vanquished Maurizio Sarri, and what it meant to his future as Chelsea head coach, when the result meant as much to Emery’s.

It is time for Emery to be properly appreciated. The win, and especially Arsenal’s tactically smart, energetic first-half performance, stopped ripples of dissent towards the head coach from turning into a wave. After four losses in eight games, including a 5-1 shoeing at Anfield and the parochial pain of going out of the Carabao Cup to Tottenham Hotspur at home, the pressure built on Emery.

Shouldn’t Mesut Özil, a World Cup winner, on £350,000 a week, really be starting? Shouldn’t Aaron Ramsey, who is off to Juventus, really be on the bench and not starting? Emery was being increasingly questioned. Ridiculous. After only 33 games. After only six months of a three-year contract. In the most competitive English season for years. Saturday brought patience that Emery deserved anyway.

As ever in the era of short tempers and long Twitter threads, some fans doubted the new man, ignoring the fact that Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino all needed time to settle in their first seasons at Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham respectively. And all those three were working with superior squads to the one Emery inherited from Wenger.


Emery’s critics need to remember the sorry state of affairs, the sad decline under his predecessor, and acknowledge Arsenal’s improved form against leading opponents. Under Wenger, Arsenal took only six points out of a possible 30 against the glitterati last season. Already this season, Arsenal have taken eight points off the elite, beating Sp**s and Chelsea and drawing with Liverpool and Manchester United. Many challenges lie in wait, especially with City, Sp**s and United lurking among their next seven Premier League tests, but Saturday confirmed Arsenal are developing well.

Emery outwitted Sarri, using Ramsey at the tip of the diamond to stifle Jorginho, pressing and counterattacking briskly, being on the front foot with two forwards. Emery won the game and won the Özil debate. If the skilful German will not contribute when Arsenal don’t have the ball, he just cannot start. Emery has been diplomatic with his comments about Özil, praising his “quality”, partly because he is a civilised man but also because he is not dazzled by stars and is very clear of what he wants from players. Emery does not risk losing their respect by criticising them in public as Sarri has done. The esteem in which Emery is held is also reflected in Ramsey consistently delivering even as he edges towards the exit. (It is also a sign of his consummate professionalism.)

Emery has made mistakes and fans are right to have some reservations, and three at the back doesn’t really work with this squad, but this is a studious manager, hugely respected within European football for setting teams up well. So, when he puts Granit Xhaka in defence, because of an injury crisis, there is method in perceived madness, even when the willing Switzerland international looks uncomfortable and his redeployment breaks up that promising axis with Lucas Torreira.

When fans became fidgety about Emery’s sparing use of Torreira at the start of the season, Arsenal’s head coach was taking the longer view, bedding him in slowly to a new league after a hectic summer.

When supporters then became annoyed at their new cult hero being rested, Emery clearly felt that there were medical concerns about the hard-working Uruguayan player succumbing to injury. In a sport too addicted to short-term fixes, Emery deserves applause for taking a long-term approach. He cares about his players’ welfare.

All the time, Emery has been assessing options, learning about the mental character and tactical and technical qualities of his new players. Fans talk of his tinkering, but he seems to have his front six established now of Xhaka holding, Matteo Guendouzi and Torreira tucked in on the diamond, and Ramsey behind Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Initially reticent about playing two up front, mindful of weakening midfield, Emery realised the power of the pair of Lacazette and Aubameyang, their synergy and off-field kinship, and has unleashed them, mixing some poetry into his pragmatism.

The former Valencia, Seville and Paris Saint-Germain coach has not stumbled by chance on this system and choice of personnel. He has been watching, auditioning and building. He will doubtless change in games to come, starting against United in the FA Cup at the Emirates on Friday, but it is worth having a plan B. Sarri doesn’t. Emery is not so obsessed with dogma like Chelsea’s head coach with his “Sarri-ball”. He varies formations, 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-2-1 and now 4-1-2-1-2, the system that seems to offer best the balance and threat. And not for Emery any of the nonsense of playing his two best players out of position as Sarri does with N’Golo Kanté pushed up and, occasionally, with Eden Hazard as a false nine. Emery is a coach with his eyes wide open and his mind open.

He is still assimilating into English football. But this is a real thinker about the game, easily capable of adapting. Can he do it at Stoke City on a cold night in February? Well, actually, he can. Six years before taking the Arsenal job, Emery went to Stoke with Valencia in the Europa League, fielded some of his strongest, tallest players, stood up to the physical challenge and won 1-0 with a goal from the 6ft 1in Mehmet Topal.

He suits Arsenal so well. He has given youth a chance, mainly in the cups, prospects such as Ainsley Maitland-Niles (aged 21), Joe Willock (19), Eddie Nketiah (19), Emile Smith Rowe (18) and Bukayo Saka (17). Wenger fielded youngsters in the cups, so there is a continuity of pathway here, but not all managers do it. Sarri, especially, fails to appreciate that some of his colts such as Callum Hudson-Odoi could train on to become first-team thoroughbreds.

Emery has handled the Petr Cech succession politely but decisively, introducing Bernd Leno. He is respectful to referees and opposing managers. He has encouraged more tactical discipline in players such as Xhaka and Alex Iwobi. Arsenal defend corners better, run farther, press more, and work harder in the gym at their London Colney training ground. They are not the butterflies fresh from the chrysalis that they resembled too often in the recent past.

And no longer are Arsenal fans waiting until the hour mark for the man in the dugout to take action and send on substitutes. Emery changes games. His switch at half-time with Arsenal trailing 2-1 to Sp**s at the Emirates on December 2 turned the match. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Iwobi off, Lacazette and Ramsey on, three goals in 26 minutes, thank you very much. In the second half on Saturday, Emery frustrated Chelsea by sending on Maitland-Niles for Ramsey and Iwobi for Lacazette to give Arsenal more presence in midfield.

His final change involved Mohamed Elneny for the stricken Héctor Bellerín. Emery does not moan about injuries, even those such as the right back’s damaged knee, which restricts Arsenal’s threat down that flank. Emery simply pointed out that he had potential understudies such as Maitland-Niles “playing well”. He name-checked Stephan Lichtsteiner and added: “I do not forget Carl Jenkinson.” He makes all in his squad believe they have a chance of inclusion.

Just a glance at the list of sick and wounded under Emery shows the endless disruption that he has had to deal with: Laurent Koscielny (achilles tendon), Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin), Nacho Monreal (hamstring), Elneny (thigh), Danny Welbeck (ankle), Rob Holding (knee), Mkhitaryan (metatarsal), Lichtsteiner (hamstring), Maitland-Niles (tibula), Iwobi (illness), Jenkinson (ankle), Torreira (calf), Sead Kolasinac (knee) and now Bellerín (knee).

Fourteen players. That’s not a dressing room. That’s a doctor’s waiting room. Emery doesn’t bleat about it. He gets on with it. He is a class act, and Arsenal should count their blessings.

 

[Mark Tobias]

Best piece I’ve read so far on Emery’s start in North London. Should be read by everyone on this forum, not least by the football manager experts on here who are already convinced Emery isn’t good enough for us.

Top article. Thanks for the share. Found this particularly relevant for AM

"In a sport too addicted to short-term fixes"

 

[Sniper Mik]

Omg what is this?

Ornstein wasn't joking ffs

 

[A_G]

It was 57 goals at the same point last season but he's the Spanish Mourinho #NoImprovement

 

[Sniper Mik]

Mustafi:rofl:

 

[dashsnow17]

Omg what is this?

Ornstein wasn't joking ffs

The sight of Leno in camo gear is a bit triggering. I’d give it another 80 years before blond people can safely put on military clothing again.

 

[berric]

Omg what is this?


Ornstein wasn't joking ffs

Wonder how many times Özil aimed at Unai's head.

 

[Makingtrax]

Omg what is this?

Ornstein wasn't joking ffs

When I see a photo or video of Özil, he looks happy.

It doesn’t fit with this narrative that he’s getting the cold shoulder from Emery and there’s a bust up. Still think the guy has fitness issues and that Emery’s English is causing the problems.

Think he’ll come back soon and all this will die down.

 

[OnlyOne]

Pwoar tell you what, look at those f*cking Greek Men together. They're starting vs United, mark my words.

 

[asukru]

Pwoar tell you what, look at those f*cking Greek Men together. They're starting vs United, mark my words.

That's a ****ing wall mate! A Greek wall!

 

[Tosker]

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...es-on-mesut-Özil-and-unai-emerys-relationship

 

[Aevi]

Best piece I’ve read so far on Emery’s start in North London. Should be read by everyone on this forum, not least by the football manager experts on here who are already convinced Emery isn’t good enough for us.

I feel proven right by the Chelsea game in a way. Emery's management of key players and stubbornness on using formations that haven't worked played a large role in not only our poor results in the past 2 months but also our poor performances even when we weren't winning. The moment he reintroduced Ramsey into the team, moved away from the back three, and played everyone in their preferred position, we not only played well but won fairly convincingly.

I said if Emery continues in the same vain as the last two months, I'd consider moving him on, but I'm most definitely happy to have him here in the meantime. I understand that injuries and a competitive season have made things difficult for him, but what I look for more than results this season is a progression towards something new and better than we had under Wenger, and Emery has shown at times that we haven't been heading that way. I've already mentioned why I think that, so I won't write it all out again.

But again, when you say "...the football manager experts on here who are already convinced Emery isn’t good enough for us," I think you're misrepresenting those you disagree with. It's not that we don't think he's good enough as much as that we're just critical of some of the work he's done thus far. I know I made one comment after the West Ham game about how I was now convinced he's not the man for the job, and that was perhaps hyperbolic, but I and several others have generally been clear that we believe he should be given time. There's no real call to kick Emery out, you're fighting a group that doesn't exist.

 

[Tom349]

Im not buying this narrative that the competition is stronger than ever. With the exception of Liverpool and to a certain extent City every other team is weaker this season. Chelsea have downgraded managers, lost key players and are quite an old side. Sp**s moved to a temporary stadium and didn't spend a single dollar in the transfer window and now have injuries that will further expose them most likely. While United had a terrible start to a season and sacked their manager as a result. The competition is weaker and it is only through Emerys poor management over the last 2 months that we sit in fifth spot level with United and three points behind Chelsea.

 

[A_G]

Im not buying this narrative that the competition is stronger than ever.

The team in 6th has 44 points, which is the most a team that far down the table has ever had in the PL at this stage of the season. It's not a narrative, it's a fact.