A managerial transition can be one of the most sensitive and difficult situations that a sporting club has to deal with, and in today’s booming football economy, the margin for error tends to grow smaller every day. Teams like Chelsea might suggest that it doesn’t make too much of a difference. But, there are multiple examples within the Premier League itself, which would prove otherwise.
A perfect instance of this exact predicament could’ve been identified a couple of years ago – Manchester United under Jose Mourinho. There was no question about the Portuguese manager’s qualities or his credentials, but for some unexplainable reason, things took a massive turn for the worse, one year down the line. Despite delivering the Europa League trophy and finishing second behind Manchester City, the manager was fired, for seemingly getting into a row with a bunch of players.
The Unai Emery Conundrum
According to a recent report by The Telegraph, former Liverpool defender and TV Pundit Jamie Carragher has explicitly stated that, when Arsenal were bringing Unai Emery in, they weren’t really getting an upgrade on Arsene Wenger. Despite Wenger’s horrible last couple of seasons, the Premier League veteran made such a bold claim, inspite of the fact that Arsenal still find themselves in the top six.
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour hasn’t been impressed with what he’s seen since Emery took over either. As reported by Daily Mail, Parlour seemed insistent that the Gunners haven’t moved on from Wenger yet, and that Emery isn’t moving the club in the right direction. However, many Arsenal fans are still supporting the Spaniard’s cause, beyond reason.
Added to this, the Spaniard’s reluctance to use Mesut Ozil has been heavily questioned as well. Undoubtedly the Gunners’ best creative outlet, the German has played just once in the league this season, having featured in their away draw at Watford. It’s interesting to note that in that game, the Hornets had 31 shots, compared to Arsenal’s 7. To make matters worse, The Sun are reporting that Ozil and the manager had a rather intense chat during their most recent training session. It has also been suggested in the report that the German star was responding to the Spaniard’s actions when he posted a cryptic tweet later that evening.
You make me laugh… pic.twitter.com/DohUXm3oSH
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) October 23, 2019
The Main Causes For Concern
Since the start of the current campaign, the Gunners have consistently been shipping more chances than they have been creating. Also, they generally average fewer shots (12.4) than they allow the opponent (13.6) to take. Some of Emery’s decision making since taking over has been extremely questionable too.
Arguably a manager who depends on creativity down the flanks, Arsenal have gone about their transfer business in the worst manner possible. Over the course of last season, it was obvious that Alex Iwobi, the only natural winger in the squad, couldn’t singlehandedly take Arsenal to the next level. Although they acquired Nicolas Pepe, they went on to sell Iwobi in the same window, effectively bringing them back to square one. While Reiss Nelson was also in the picture, let us not forget that he was a super-sub for most of the time he was in the Bundesliga last season.
Emery’s teams tend to dominate possession of the ball once they take over control in a match. Although they average around 60% possession in league fixtures, the way in which the ball was utilised has been miserable. Averaging just 12 shots per game, especially compared to the 16 that Wenger’s Arsenal used to average, Emery’s attacking philosophy needs to be questioned as well.
Arsenal’s away record this season has been horrific, to say the least, and to add to their misery, they’ve only had 43 shots from their five away games so far this term. To put things into perspective, Manchester City have had 97 and Southampton, Brighton, Norwich and Watford have all had more shots than the Gunners as well.
Even during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, Unai Emery never really looked comfortable or seemed to be in complete control at any point in time. There was a lasting lack of communication between himself and the players. Their defensive numbers weren’t up to the mark, and he didn’t win over the Parisien Ultras either. As for the game that signalled the end of his PSG career, it was their embarrassing defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League. Emery’s men squandered a 4-1 lead and allowed Barcelona to win the tie in the 95th minute.
How Does Emery Compare With Arsene Wenger?
When Wenger was appointed as the head of Arsenal in 1996, not too much was expected of him. Within two years though, the Frenchman had already delivered a league and cup double – something that Emery doesn’t look like he’s going to achieve in the near future.
Also noteworthy is the comparison between this current Arsenal team and the one that got the Frenchman fired. Despite being widely regarded as Wenger’s worst season in charge, ten games into the campaign, the Gunners were in 5th place, with 19 points to their name, and most importantly, had a goal difference of +6. They are currently in 6th place with a goal difference of +1 and have only won one out of their five away fixtures so far.
The Way Forward
Despite having enough experience to succeed at any top club in the world, Unai Emery still doesn’t seem to have the hang of proceedings in the Premier League. Even with a team like Paris Saint-Germain at his disposal, he never really managed to hit the exciting heights possible.
Already handicapped because of a limited squad compared to his last employers, the Spaniard has made some extremely questionable lineup choices over the last couple of seasons as well. Managers like Antonio Conte are living proof that winning the Premier League within one year is not an impossible task. With Emery now into his second year in charge, the clock has already begun to tick. A famous man once said, “be the best version of yourself.” Unai Emery will be hoping that nobody in the Arsenal board hears this quote anytime soon.
