Ahead of Arsenal’s opening League game against the Champions Man City, Unai Emery has been talking about his aims to get the Gunners back into a position where they play with organization in defence, and confidence and aggressiveness going forward, but all the time playing as one unit and transmitting their passion to the fans.
The Spaniards command of English may not be perfect yet, but he certainly knows how to get his point across. This is what he told Sky Sports: “Our style with the ball is to be protagonists, to do things with combinations, to control the match with the positioning of the ball. And then when we have the space, to be aggressive going forward.
“Defensively: first it is to be organised, recover the ball quickly. But in these two moments in the match we need to work. To say it here is easier than doing it on the pitch. We also need time, but now I am happy because I think the players are improving.
“We need two things: quality players, which we have, and then organisation. Together I think we can improve, to win in our way. I repeat: organised, then play.”
“When we are thinking in an attacking moment, I want the goalkeeper thinking for that, he is the first. The same when we are thinking defensively, I want our strikers to be thinking: ‘We need to protect the goalkeepers’. I want those two moments to feel the same for all players.
“Each player has this quality, this characteristic to help the team as a collective. For me, that is very important.”
“It’s clear, the aim for the club is to arrive as champions, play for titles. But for me, I want to enjoy the way [we do it].
“I want the players and supporters to feel that together, and also enjoy each match, each moment in our stadium, and in this way the team transmits to the supporters the passion.”
“Success is to improve, grow up, build one team with personality, and then I want to win. I want to do it one way with this personality, enjoying with our supporters. We are looking in this way, one team with a passion, with a quality, organised, and in this way we are near to winning in the future.”
Obviously Emery thinks the team is far from being the finished product right now, but he has only had a couple of months to prepare and without all of our players. I am sure we will have to be patient while the new arrivals get integrated into the team, but if us, as fans, can see the squad trying their hardest to win, whoever our opponents, then that will give us the hope that we can succeed when eveything comes together in the future.
Arsenal need to be organized and passionate, and the fans need to be patient and forgiving, at least for the first six months….
Sam P