Is Emery our man, or not? by Gunner1953
As a sports fan my entire life I have cried more then I have celebrated. My teams have lost big games in the final minute, or have blown big leads to eventually fall to defeat. I have experienced the lowest of lows as a sports fan.
With Arsenal, the same is true. I have given them the benefit of the doubt more times than I can remember. After spending this morning reading blogs and Twitter, it seems Arsenal Nation is once again lost in frustration and uncertainty. The big question…should Unai Emery be sacked? Is he the right man for the job?
There seems to be two different perspectives on this. Many say to let him go and bring in the likes of Massimilliano Allegri or Mikel Arteta, or even allow Freddie Ljungberg to take over and finish the season as interim manager.
Others say to give him more time. Can a side that includes a healthy Tierney, Bellerin and Lacazette provide the spark the team needs to turn the corner?
In American sports we tend to give head coaches and managers a little more rope then in Europe. Now that’s not a slight on my European friends, but I think in the US we have more attachment to our coaches’ personalities. This is probably a little naive but anyway we usually sack a coach or manager once the season ends.
Emery is currently in hot water with supporters. He has failed to connect with the supporters and even though Arsenal’s records stands at 7 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats in all competitions many want him gone. Compare this is to the Cleveland Browns current record. Head Coach Freddie Kitchen’s team has 2 wins and 4 losses, yet no one has mentioned it’s time to sack the coach. Why? Browns fans love Freddie’s personality.
Here’s my opinion…take it or leave it.
You would think an American sports fan who loves an English football team would side with the group who wants to give Emery more time. That is not the case, and here’s why.
We lose the big games (Europa League final), we rely too much on Aubameyang to save the day, we don’t compete well against the Big 5, we struggle defensively, we have a hard time getting shots on goal, we lack midfield creativity, we don’t have a style anyone can consistently recognize, and we fail to put our best players on the pitch…game after game.
We our loaded with talent. We have many world class players wearing the Arsenal shirt, yet we lack leadership, guidance, character and I’m sorry to say, but many times we lack the desire to win. Now you can’t lay all of this at the manager’s feet. I mean we have lads making millions on top of millions to play the game, however, the manager’s job to mold, drive, motivate and create a team that works hard, plays hards and gets results.
Yes, it’s time for Emery to go. As hard as it is we need some new energy and new ideas to lead this team. Allegri would be the perfect fit. The Italian was hugely successful at Juventus, and yes, he is available.
I’m not one to usually have a knee jerk reaction to this kind of situation, but this time it is different. We have the players, now we need the right man to lead Arsenal back to where we all expect to be.
Cheers. Gunner1953
This is a guest post from a new Arsenal Blogger in the USA. If you like his writing, pop over to YankeeGooner.net and have a look at his other pòsts…