Emery admits his tinkering didn’t improve Arsenal at all this time around

All through the season we have seen how Unai Emery has made changes to the Arsenal team and tactics during the half-time break, and it has usually been effective and we are top of the scoring charts in the second half of games. Against Brighton though it had the opposite effect, as Arsenal had been fully in control for the first half hour of the game, and it was only one of our usual defensive errors that gave Brighton the equaliser.

Unai Emery admitted as much after the game: “Yes, I think the key to the match today was the first 45 minutes, when we controlled the match as we wanted to. We scored and we had the advantage, with another two good chances for Aubameyang to get the second. Their goalkeeper saved with two good actions and from then, they equalised.”

Emery took off Mesut Ozil at half-time for Iwobi, and 15 minutes later swapped Lacazette for Ramsey. Emery again agreed that this didn’t work. “In the second half we tried again to control the match, to create the chances, but we didn’t do that. We had control with possession but not with creating chances against them. It wasn’t enough to win the game today.”

He was then asked why his substitutions didn’t work this time, and he replied: “Tactically, some matches I did that and I wanted to control it better with the positioning on the pitch. But in the second half we couldn’t do our ideas on the pitch for imposing ourselves and this imposing positioning can give us more options in attacking moments to score. We created less chances in the second half and not clear [chances].”

Well Unai, if you take off your most dangerous striker and your most gifted midfielder, you are hardly going to create more chances are you?

Darren N

27 Comments

  1. We lack attach. I do t know why Ramsey can’t play in a CM roll instead gundosi. He is a kid and he playes well for his age but doesn’t do anything. The pressure on the attackers to score with no play makers or the pressure on the play maker with 0 other creativity is a joke. Why are we playing so defensive against least teams. We should have Torira Ramsey ozil playing with Ramsey swapping for xaka against a team we may need more creativity. I’m sorry but iwobi does nothing. O excellent passing no great cross. Nothing at all we need some serious players and we need to get off the backs of ozil. It was the managers decision that lost us the game and the other games we have lost. Since welbeck got injured we headed down this road via lack off pace and creativity. I’m tired of ozil bashish emry wake the hell up and give ozil someone to play with. We should be fighting to keep both ozil and Ramsey for Christ sake

    1. The OZIL DELUSION.
      It’s always excuses and everyone’s fault for Ozil being a flawed frad player.
      Been here for more than 5 seasons and we still have the same old tired excuses.
      Give Ozil this and that player. When is he going to be the one to adapt to the team and others instead of it always others to adapt to his overraed / overhyped self? It’s always his fanbase blaming everyone else. The excuses are tired and expired now. Highest payed (£300,000) player in Arsenals history and you can’t differentiate him from the rest of out average players.
      The guy is meant to be our only so called World Class and go to man / player (according to his very loyal fanbase).

      Rough times for more seasons to come as long as we still have the likes of Ozil as oir main players.

      1. How cathartic to see a fellow realist on here. I had begun to think that ONLY the Ozil fan club, out in force were allowed to post on here judging by the many “fantasy, fool themselves” comments on him refusing to see his laziness and frail mentality. This club of ours needs someone with his talent but with a pair of balls too and someone who is not a frail mentally and non hard working player. I am thoroughly cheesed off with his one performance in a blue moon and hardly noticed in the rest of games type player. But then again, I happen to be a realist to my fingertips and so am not welcome by the many fantasists on here. So it is you and me against the world, Goonster! Or so it sometimes seems, though of course there ARE also MANY others on here who see what we both see and admit it.

  2. Away matches that Arsenal will lose:
    1. Liverpool 2. Manchester City 3. Tottenham Hotspur 4. Everton 5. Watford 6. Leicester city

  3. I know everyone as been Praising him for his subs in every game but shouldn’t he be getting the team right from the off and not taking players off at half time we all know wenger would leave it late in games but emery’s subbing of players seems a little desperate in most of our games ,and his tactics and subs yersterday were comical at best ,I know we have a lot of injuries that are not helping but wenger was never a loud that excuse was he .

    1. He got it all wrong last night imo….. but then it’s easy for me to sit here & say I wouldn’t have done that blah blah blah… he thought he was doing right in taking off Ozil & bringing on Iwobi (!) taking off Laca, but it didn’t pay off… maybe Brighton deserved more credit, but I can’t help thinking that it wasn’t that they were superb, it was that we were absolutely crap!!! But then again what can he do when the whole team decide to have an off day?!!
      25 goals conceded already….. possibly another 5+ incoming on Saturday… oh happy days

    2. @Xxnofx

      I think we’ll have to get used to the tinkering. I am currently reading the authorised biography on Emery, and if I remember correctly, he went something like 80 games in row, changing the starting lineup.

      I agree with you that Emery was poor yesterday, but we can’t really complain about his subs overall, as they’ve been the most effective in the league so far, in fact, the best in the entire country! I agree with the Ozil sub. He offered absolutely ZERO in the first half! It was all easy 5/10 yard passes that even Denilson could have made! Pathetic from Ozil! Lacazette was poor as well, especially in the 2nd half, but I would have kept him on, because we needed to win that game. I also would have brought Ramsey on at halftime instead of Iwobi.

      1. Ramsay did absolutely nothing either. and he really hasn’t for years – runs around a lot but not much else – since the broken leg he has been a different player (maybe not given right chance but I don’t think so).

        Like it or not, taking off Ozil means no playmakers around. Who is going to distribute? Iwobi – give me a break, he runs around a lot but generally doesn’t do very much.
        Brighton let our young midfielder (who will be a great player with time) run into 4 or 5 defenders time and again – he doesn’t know how to distribute yet. People hate Ozil but he didn’t play like crap, he wasn’t great but not awful – if you are trying to win a game, you don’t make that change at half.

        Emery has been pretty good on his changes and juggling his line up but he failed last night – and the team played pretty lousy as well.

        People hoping for an influx in January are going to be disappointed – there are a lot of holes to fill and it will take time…

  4. Same old same old…. we had lots of chances & didn’t take them! Then it came back to bite us….. and this has been happening for how long…… ?

    1. i doubt if anyone of us has ever managed a single game for even 60mins. Some are already calling for Emery’s neck. Is it not better we tackle this problem at root, the club owner Kronke, is he really interested in progress or his bank accounts? Let him bring out money for quality players. I am sorry to say that we can’t see tangible progress until Kronke is gone.

      1. Yours is by far the most REALISTIC and to the point post on here. Kroenke is the ENTIRE problem. We need to force him to sell up and thE only way to legally achieve that is to leave the ground as near empty as possibleafor as long as it takes. Failing us agreeing to do that, nothing will change regarding owner investment, which will ALWAYS prevent a title challenge, not matter WHO our manager is.

      2. Gab….Absolutely let Kronke invest….the league is becoming competitive.Without bringing new quality players,I would be challenging for coaches to bring desired results……I still love what Unai is doing…..yes he needs time….but…..but..yesterday wrong decisions cost us the results

        1. my mistake up there not I would be….it would be…….Gab,jon and me are calling for BIG investment…..I would love to read an article on which positions Arsenal should invest…..

    2. because we cannot cope with the opponent’s long ball how many times is it going to happen before we do something about it

  5. I’m wondering if we’ve done a ‘Chelsea’ on the spuds… that other season when we thrashed Chelsea at the Emirates… they never looked back & went on to win the league! Surely not again, especially with that lot!! Omg that wasn’t in the script!!

  6. ” it was only one of our usual defensive errors that gave Brighton the equaliser.” Which is quite odd considering the article posted literally straight after this one is titled “Arsenal simply couldn’t win because of Emery’s choices of players and tactics”.

    So I guess that second one was just shameless clickbait.

  7. The players seem to have lost their mojo after a somewhat promising first half of the season even if we still looked shakey and unconvincing.
    I want to see what Emery can do with his own players and not these Wenger cuties.

  8. “Yes, I think the key to the match today was the first 45 minutes, when we controlled the match as we wanted to. We scored and we had the advantage, with another two good chances for Aubameyang to get the second. Their goalkeeper saved with two good actions and from then, they equalised.”

    The 45 mins with Ozil was, according to Emery, the key to the match.
    Highlighting the chances Auba had.
    The goal we conceded was more Lich fault than Ozil if we are being objective and honest.

    How many shots did their GK, Ryan, have to save in the second half?

    It is clear that some people will refuse to recognise what Ozil brings to Arsenal as it would mean they have to admit they was wrong and pride gets in the way.

    1. For the love of Christ Ozil is an incomplete player . People don’t realize Ozil is the 8th highest payed player in the world .
      Here are a list of creators and see if you would choose Ozil over them .
      1.Erickson
      2.Silva
      3.Mata
      4.Hazard
      5.Isco
      6.Modric
      7.James Rodriguez
      I always ask people would you choose Ozil over Fabregas even at their peak powers.
      I am not bashing Ozil but he and host of other players need to go and new team should emerge in the shape of their manager .
      Iwobi needs to sit on the bench, Lich and Miki are all picking free salaries at Arsenal and i dare say most of the kids at the academy will bring more to the team.

  9. Why can’t emery get some back up from some of the kids that played in Europa,? If senior players can’t deliver, let’s get players that have the desire to play, this tactics of the manager making subs very early shows he isn’t confident with his team selection, he should watch 300 men of Sparta, no retreat no surrender

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