Arsenal have quite a difficult opening set of fixtures for next season, they start with an away game against Newcastle then a home game against Burnley followed by a massive doubleheader against Liverpool and Tottenham before they travel to Watford, a tricky game indeed.
After those five opening games, we could find ourselves on just a few points, as low as three, with Burnley really the only banker and if that scenario was to unfold then our season could basically be over before it has even started.
A poor start would see the fans turn very quickly, we are already an unhappy bunch following the end of season collapse that saw us miss out on Champions League football despite having what most people considered the easiest run in.
Once a manager loses the fans at the Emirates he is in trouble, just look at what happened with Arsene Wenger and he had been our most successful manager ever.
A poor start will be difficult to overcome and if Arsenal is outside the top-six after the festive period and the January transfer window just open then the Spaniard’s future would be in serious jeopardy.
Obviously, it could go the other way, 12 points or more from our opening five fixtures would be an impressive return, confidence would be high, we would probably have a North London derby win under our belt and an easier set of games to look forward to.
But those opening games do look tricky and could define our entire season and if Emery does not navigate them positively then his future could be in some doubt.