In modern football patience towards coaches and managers is something that is in short supply, however, Arsenal are known for their patience as they showed with Arsene Wenger when results turned sour.
The major factor which cost Wenger his job, which is now being repeated by Unai Emery, is the inability to change a failing approach to the game.
Football like every other aspect of life deserves a good Plan B.
When a manager realizes that his Plan A is not working, he goes for Plan B. Arsenal dropped points last season due to the lack of a Plan B. The same act is being repeated this season. Lack of a good Plan B in the second half caused our defeat against Liverpool. The same thing happened against Watford yesterday.
It is obvious that the majority of Arsenal’s available players find it difficult playing from the back. A weakness which has cost the team goals. A total of fourteen errors leading to goals have been caused by the team since the beginning of last season. I wonder why Emery is not fixing it.
Against Watford, it was funny to hear the cheers from the crowd each time Leno kicked the ball forward, probably out of frustration more than anything else. It is easy for opponents to set their teams in a way where they press Arsenal players constantly expecting to take advantage of their errors.
The midfield setting of Emery has no character. It cannot hold on to the ball, it cannot defend, neither can it cause a quick transition from defence to attack.
He sticks to an obviously failing player due to lack of a planned alternative. Players do have bad days, It is the job of coaches to change players who show obvious weakness. Ainsley Maitland-Niles lost possession 19 times yesterday, yet he played the full game.
Emery has a very good squad of players at his disposal but what is lacking, is proper management and if he doesn’t fix the team as soon as possible, he is going to lose his job sooner rather than later.
By Evbogbai Charles