There have been enough pundits and fans criticizing Arsenal’s new manager Unai Emery after two defeats in his first two games, but, as I have said before, the Spaniard didn’t arrive with a Magic Wand that can instantly change the way Arsenal play. It simply isn’t that easy to turn a frog into a Prince!
On the Sky Debate, Liam Rosenior (who incidentally is assistant coach for the Brighton U23s, who played a draw against Freddie’s U23s last night) said that Emery must be given time to get his philosophy stamped on the team. “For me, success for Arsenal is having a clear plan moving forward,” Rosenior said. “I think this is a season of transition and I’m tired of the overall media pressure on managers when they come into a job.
“I look at Sir Alex Ferguson. It took him five years to get his club to where he wanted them to be and then they had 20 years of consistent success. I’m tired of the turnover of managers.
“If you want managers to be able to do the job to the best of their ability you need to give them time to implement their philosophy.
“What I’ve seen from Arsenal in the first two games under Emery for me is really encouraging. Forget the results, he’s laying down a foundation and a process of the way he wants to play.
“I think given time he could be a success at Arsenal but only if he’s given time and given respect from the powers above him.
“When you follow a manager that’s been there over 20 years, it takes so much time not just to change a style of play but to change a whole culture of a football club.
“You see the problems that United are still having now numerous years after Ferguson left the club.
“It’s a huge job for Emery but I really like the way he’s gone about it because he’s gone in there and said ‘This is the way I want to play, I’m going to put my stamp on the football team’.
“And in two games I see a clear difference between Arsenal of last year and Arsenal of this year.
“Take the results out of it, I see a difference in intensity out of possession, a difference in their intensity in transitions and being willing to press the ball.
“I see a lot of things that given time and long term, they will be a much better team than they have been over the last three or four years.
“But there has to be an understanding that if you want things long term, you need to have a plan in place and a process and I think he’s going to give them that.”
He is right of course, and logically if every manager in the Premier League was judged on two games of the season against Man City and Chelsea, then they would probably all be sacked!
Let’s give the man some time and a bit less criticism shall we?
Admin