Recently I have heard nothing but bitching and moaning from Arsenal fans about how much Unai Emery is failing to make any difference whatsoever compared to former seasons, well I think it’s about time someone stood up in defence of the guy.
He has done a brilliant job to get this bunch of under-achieving, overpaid, pampered journeyman to start playing like they actually want to win games, rather than just pick up their massive wage packets every week. (You know how tiring that can be!) It has not been easy, and we know the players have had trouble understanding his instructions as big wages just not necessarily equate to the intelligence levels, so we should actually be happy that we haven’t actually regressed.
As Emery said just today: “I use a lot of information about the previous years in the Premier League table of other teams and also our team, and we are doing our way. Now with the 47 points we have in the table, in the last four years there’s only one other time Arsenal have had the same points in this moment. Three years ago Leicester were first in the table with 50 points, and sometimes the table gives us more chances with 47 points, and sometimes it’s giving us less. This year Manchester City and Liverpool are very hard and strong, and after that it’s Tottenham. Chelsea and Manchester United are together with Arsenal, but our points are good. We need to improve defensively, but we need to continue with our way in doing that.”
Come on, everyone thought there would be years of transition to rebuild the side after Wenger left, but we simply cannot ignore the fact that Emery is achieving as much as our legendary Wenger after just six months learning the job, despite hundreds of injuries and very little support in the transfer market.
Let us please give credit where it is due please.
Sam P
As a transitional season he gets a free pass.Next season he will not have this luxury.He will be judged on results,performances and league position.He WILL introduce new defenders and he WILL improve us with his own player choices playing his preferred system.
BUT
We are a million miles behind Liverpool and City.Chelsea will lose Hazard and he is irreplaceable.Spurs are penniless and will not improve.United will buy bigger and better players.So the Top4 position we demand will be more realistic next season IF we buy the right players.That is down to Kronke.
lm sure theres thousands wouldnt be giving a free pass but all i can see is improvment all over the pitch.
To anyone who disagrees tell me did you watch us last season cause if you did then stay off the beers.
Anyhow yes we have moved forward which in truth wasnt hard but still the players he has gotten in are so much better than Wenger was bringing in .
He has been doing well, but I would use the “extremely well” word for praising Ranieri, a manager that brings the EPL title in his first season with a very limited budget and cheap players
I hope he can get more personnel of his choice as soon as possible
Not extremely well. Just okay. Tomorrow will be a big test to see can he fire the players to challenge away from home.
If we get stuffed, then nothing has changed.
Now how many times were we trashed last year and the one before and this year its been only one so come on stop with the bad vibes as we are not as bad as some go on about.
2-3 AWAY WINS LAST YEAR ALREADY BEATEN THIS SEASON.
Give the guy a chance .
Liverpool and City and playing out of there skins this year , we have been average at best for our standards so theres only one way for us and its up we cant get worse than last year
Our HOME form last season was exceptional -it was our AWAY performances that let us down.
He’s done well with the money he’s been given but we should be asking why we don’t have any money
Emery doesn’t have the vast funds as some clubs to buy improvement in table, so he has to improve the players he has. Iwobi, Bellerin, Xhaka, Mustafi, Kola, etc… Have not taken that step up in quality that we need; is that down to player or manager and training?
I give Emery the patience and room to grow with the club and players, but neither should be free from being questioned.
My biggest concern going forward is Emery reaching backwards for former players to solve our current and future issues. Managing Banega, Suarez, and Nonzi one thing, but that type won’t deliver titles and glory.
Emery appears to clash with big players that help deliver titles and glory, and looks to bang heads and cause friction. I merely wonder if that’s the best way. Didn’t work outside French league for him, and pampering our players didnt deliver for over a decade either.
FA Cups are trophies no doubt, but I’d happily trade 2 or 3 of those for one PL title against the recent PL competition at the top.
Yes, he has. Despite everything, we are still in the top 4 race. If anyone expected anything more they at the moment they weren’t being very realistic. He still has issues to overcome like finding a consistent starting lineup, and redoing the defense (which he needs money for!), but overall I’m happy that Arsenal have the opportunity to improve in the future. That was not happening under Wenger and it just seemed to keep getting worse. This season was always going to be a rocky one, and he needs time to sort some things out because this squad has many problems that were not of his making
As far as I can see Arsenal supporters believe their players are much better than they really are. In reality Emery has got all he can from the players he’s inherited. He needs to put together his own squad. Not sure about the protests about how poor Arsenal are, in reality they are the third richest club in England so where’s the money gone ?
Just saw an article saying we’re 9th in the world… 5th in England now
Seen article earlier saying only 40mil for summer spending which i hope isnt true.
I also feel Emery as done just ‘OK’. He still does not seem to have much idea about our defensive problems, but of course he has had extremely bad luck with injuries. Holding was shaping up to be a class act but is out for the season. However the likes of Mustafi and Lichsteiner would not get into any other PL team let alone Arsenal’s and that should have been addressed in the January transfer market
A subject that I have not seen discussed anywhere is how well Chambers is developing on loan at Fulham. They seem to be turning hime into a creative midfielder which is just what we need. Hopefully he will do a job for us next season
Clockendjim, how can you say that Unai Emery has no idea about Arsenal’s “defensive problems” when you yourself agree that “he has had extremely bad luck with injuries.”
Coaching a defensive system requires having a stable lineup, whereas Emery has been faced with a revolving door for players between the pitch and the treatment room. Before the season started he had two CB’s out injured, Koscielny and Mavropanos. During the season he has since lost Holding, Bellerin and Welbeck to season ending injuries. jon fox and I agree that this is the worst season for long term injuries at Arsenal we have seen.
As far as transfers during the recent window, Emery told supporters honestly honestly that the board had only made funds available for loans. I am unaware and no one has been prepared to tell me otherwise that there did not appear to be any defenders available to improve the quality of Arsenal’s squad.
I agree with Sam P that Unai Emery deserves more respect and support from JustArsenal.
He has done well IMO. Both in the way we play with determination and in results. We are 5 points better of than we were last season at this stage and we have better results against the top 6 teams.
Coaching:
Emery has done well with installing energy into an Arsenal squad which was looking like they was running on fumes last season, the team runs a lot more and we can noticeable see the difference in the passion of the squad.
Some of our younger players have taken to his training well, Iwobi being a prime example, under Wenger he looked lost all over the pitch while under Emery he looks to have drive in going forward… Just need to sort out his final ball and he could be a useful player for a title challenging team.
Another example is Bellerin, when he had to step up due to Debuchy injury but over time in the first team, Bellerins form was slipping. Emery appears to have focused Bellerin and he is doing much better, far from perfect but the progress is fuel for hope.
Tactics:
I am unsure about Emery here, he has been extremely stubborn over the high line which hurts us, we all know it… So why doesn’t Emery adjust his tactics until he can get players capable of playing that high line? The high press is nice but then he goes with 3 at the back which takes a man away from the ability to win the ball back higher up. His subs looked great at the start but why doesn’t he play his strongest team from the start? Initially I put that down to him learning his players but he still appears to be learning his players… Slowly refining it but by gosh it is slow!
Overall I feel Emery has earned his time till the end of the season but as for next season, I honestly think that depends on how well he finished this season, if he continues to expose our team due to his stubbornness then I hope the board will get a manager who will play the players to their strengths while they build their team.
I honestly do think that if Emery had adjusted his tactics to protect the backlines pace then we wouldn’t concede as many. If we mixed up the long balls from GK a bit more then it wouldn’t be so obvious that we will try to play out from the back the next time Leno gets the ball.
Lastly, make use of Ozil FFS!
If people want him gone then getting him playing and playing well will get teams interested, he is our biggest earner and we can’t just sweep him under the rug… Not on the wages he is on. Instead of bashing him, we should look to get the best out of him and tempt a team into buying him so those funds can be used to get pacey CBs… Short term compromise to build a better long term.
Midkemma, let’s sack Emery at the end of the season, if he doesn’t meet your expectations.
Then, what well credentialled competent well respected coach would be prepared to follow Emery into the Emirates given the quality of the existing squad, the transfer budget, the Club’s self sustaining financial model and Scrooge Kroenke as owner? Good luck with that.
With the current state of Arsenal FC and the environment of the EPL, people expect Unai Emery to not just be a very good coach, but Merlin the Magician.
My expectations? I’m not the only one who has said stuff along the concept that Emery shouldn’t be given a free pass to the point of ignoring damages caused. I am not the only gooner who has said to see how things are at the end and to check on how Emery is doing. Not just mine but many gooners.
Next manager is down to the board to convince.
As for our transfer budget, we should have funds to spend in the summer which Emery was confirming even when he was saying we have no funds for this window.
Our Owner isn’t taking large chunks of cash out the club to stop us spending… We can spend, we can spend what we like on who we like… assuming we made that cash to begin with. Better than Spuds still!
While Silent Stan isn’t the best owner, he hasn’t been taking cash out and bought us using our own money, we can spend what we make and if we made more, then, we could spend more. We have net spent more than many teams prior to this Jan window, I haven’t checked the figures since but prior to Jan we had net spent more than Liverpool and Chelsea.
Nice of you to attack me instead of what was said 🙂
At least I try to stick to what was said.
Why not stop being a coward and actually post what you think? All you have done is comment on other people like a sniveling little runt.
OT impressed with your predictions this week Dan Smith… any chance you could pick my lottery numbers please? ?
Emery has done OK
Not been shite but neither has he set the world on fire.
The real point he will be judged on, obviously is at the end of the season.
If he finishes top four then it will have been a good season (I cannot believe I just said that)
But outside of top four then you could argue strongly that there has been no improvement.
The league position is the only barometer to judge a manager on – nothing else matters…
It will be a Brilliant season if we finish 4th
We have a team of mostly average players
Liverpool, United, City, Chelsea and Spurs are all better than us and have more top players.
If we finish 4th it will mean Emery is a genius
Interesting phrasing on the actual headline itself. “Come on , lets etc” to me says effectively, that the writer seeks to persuade us ALL that Emery is doing well. Sam P, then uses the silly, generic “Arsenal fans”, saying he has heard nothing but bitching amd moaning from “Arsenal fans”…..”. This is either just a foolish and unthinking use of a false headline or, more likely, a complete inability to distinguish between what SOME Arsenal fans certainly do say on the one hand, and on the other hand a total lack of real criticism from the majority. That same majority , or some of them, may well question why Emery picks so and so or plays this or that formation. HOWEVER, questioning is NOT by itself, CRITICISM. It is merely questioning. I always counsel against generic use of one opinion used for many thousands, even millions of people, as though we all think the same on things. Of course we Arsenal fans do NOT all think the same on many things. I WOULD SAY IN TRUTH THE ONLY THING WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON IS SUPPORTING ARSENAL. I think this is a most important point to make and to remember in all walks of life; that is if you wish to be truthful, rather than just rabble rousing. Just as millions of people in Britain voted either Remain or Brexit, there were many various shades of opinion by people who voted for the same side, as to WHY they voted this way. THAT MEANS NOT ALL VOTED THUS FOR THE VERY SAME REASON. If I have some lost people’s interest by saying this, I suggest it is possibly because those people are not ENOUGH interested in the REAL TRUTH and prefer polarising comments. I describe myself , in life generally as also on here, as a realist and I sincerely try to be realistic in all I think. This way, the truth is far more likely to be displayed and to me, as to very many others, the truth and the truth alone, is vital. Returning to the articles subject , I have complete faith in Emery and am very pleased we have him and for what he is doing. I am surely far from alone. So this Arsenal fan is not part of this silly headline or articles subject. Sam P. you do NOT speak for me! EVEN THOUGH YOUR HEADLINE FALSELY INCUDED ME AND MANY OTHERS OF SIMILAR OPINION.
Further to my own post above, answering Sam P, I do realise that Sam is in effect praising Emery, as I also do, But my POINT was that he deigns to try speaking for all our fans by his use of “Arsenal fans” . I f you gain no more from my above article than merely THAT truth, you will at least have realised my MAIN point.
The guy’s good. Not ‘walking on water’ good, but you know he’s got a vision, the high press etc, not that I’m an expert or anything, and against his vision is the conservative retractable elements in the club, the ‘ there’s no money’ part, the ‘ we don’t rock the boat’ element, all of which will conspire to militate against the ‘Emery project’. But he should be given 3 seasons. Three year contract. Then we make a judgement.
dog, unfortunately there are a number of people on here who expect “walking on water good.”
One only has to compare the squads of the other contenders for top four, to know how difficult the task now is. One could reasonably ask the question, whether Guardiola, Klopp, Ponchitino, Sarri, Pelligrini or anyone else would have Arsenal higher than the present position, given the squad depth and injuries suffered.
?Well said
Come on Patriots
I couldn’t give a stuff about NFL – its about as appealing as genital herpes.
But to see Kroenke’s beloved LA RAMS – which he shelled $1.6 billion of his OWN money on top of what he paid for the franchise (he has spent precisely £0.00 on Arsenal) be stuffed would give me tremendous satisfaction on a deeply spiritual level.
Just to see the abject disappointment on his face as everything comes crashing down would make my year.
Its funny isn’t it that on the eve of superbowel the parasite known only as Josh Kroenke would seek to mention Arsenal Football Club – its like in the furore of the bullshit surrounding the biggest event of the mind numbingly boring NFL franchise, someone just reminded the Kroenke’s that they own a £1.4 billion premiership club as well.
Invest $1.6 billion on the LA Rams team
Invest £0.00 on Arsenal
If he cannot be bothered then sell arsenal to the highest bidder
Really – what is the point of buying a club in the first place?
Value and collateral. Like an Interest bearing savings account.
I have no trouble giving Emery a couple of seasons to improve the team. Anyone coming into the managers position would need that time.
However I don’t fall into the camp of any change is good change. Sure we train harder, and run harder in games, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we have improved as a team.
What I see is a direct comparison to last season. We finished 6th in the league, and got to the UEFA cup semi finals after a season of upheaval, a manager on the way out, our two best players running their contracts down, and boardroom power plays.
We then spent £66.4m on new players and appointed Emery.
Anything less than a semifinal and 6th will be a step backwards.
So NFL reporter Bucky Brooks has said the Arsenal fans should be patient with Kroenke according to Sky Sports.
I wonder….
When this individual was born his parents were deliberating “Do we call him James or Aaron, what about Charlie??? – No! let’s call him Bucky!!!!”
“No one will ever assume Bucky is mentally retarded!”
Oh I’m just ranting….
Arsenal are nothing but an after thought to the Kroenke’s
Like something you stored in the garage and forgot about….
The worst owners in the Premiership.
Even Mike Ashley is better…
i feel he is doing as well as could be expected. i still say, give him two seasons, at least.it is embarrassing to hear that, our , once , great club, cannot afford to purchase any players this transfer window just gone.for several years the new stadium debt was the great excuse. in fact, it was not an excuse, it was a lie.and that was never the arsenal way, we used to be upfront about everything. but i guess everything changes, especially since hungry stan waved his not so magic wand.i cannot see any way out of this situation unless a new owner comes on board. and the chances of that happening are as remote as martians landing on wimbledon common.
Why did Arsenal leave Highbury to build the Emirates, again?
Emery has done as well as I expected bearing in mind the unbalanced squad he inherited and the string of injuries to key defenders in particular.He has never been in a position to select what I consider to be our best back four in Bellerin,Holding, Mav, and Monreal and as a consequence we continue to leak goals to all and sundry.Unfortunately this trend is likely to continue for the rest of the season and I shudder to think what a Man City side ,determined to make up for their loss at Newcastle, will do to a defence which includes the likes of Lichsteiner, Mustafi and an aging Kocielney who is clearly past his best.It’s our defensive problems which will take some time to resolve as few of any top quality defenders were available in the January window.On a brighter note we have a number of quality youngsters who may well break through in the not too distant future.
?
Putting together a team that is in Liverpool and Man City’s position takes time and a lot of money. I must say I am happy with Emery.
Emery has done a great job. There is more energy in this team and the way they play. He definitely needs about three or more years to make them a force. I feel we can have a league title in 4 years. Manure is still struggling with their team transition and they are due some loses as soon as everyone figures out how to play them. Their finger pointing will start. I feel we are evolving as a team. I feel good about this team.
2 news on Kroenke
Sky Sports:
Arsenal fans, be patient with Kroenke.
ESPN Soccernet:
Dedicated’ Emery can steer Arsenal to Champions League final – Josh Kroenke
Good news for fans if Kroenke really mean business and take action. Liverpool waits for more than 2 decades and hopefully they win EPL this season. Arsenal should beat them in less than 2 decades.
I like the post