Arsenal players no longer have Unai Emery to hide behind for their failings.
Arsenal has had one of their worse starts to a campaign since the start of the Premier League era this season.
As it almost always is, the manager pays the price and Unai Emery has been made the sacrificial lamb for Arsenal.
However, the Arsenal players cannot hide from their responsibilities, they earn lots of money and are being signed to do a professional job.
The spotlight has been on Unai Emery for much of Arsenal’s struggles this season, but the likes of Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and David Luiz have to step up now.
Arsenal’s biggest problem has been the lack of coordination as well as solidity at the back, it is shocking that the fans haven’t turned on Luiz who joined from cross-city rivals Chelsea at the end of the transfer window.
The club’s midfield has also been underperforming. While most fans have sided with Ozil in his battle with Emery, we cannot deny the fact that Ozil is no longer as effective as he was when he first moved to the Emirates Stadium.
Maybe players like Ozil and Granit Xhaka deliberately hid their best from Emery just to get the Spaniard sacked, now that he is gone, there is no one to hide under again.
I know that it would take some time for these players to get back their winning mindset as they flirted too much with mediocrity, but I want to see them with renewed enthusiasm and passion for the game now.
If these players underperform for the next manager then who will they hide behind then?
The time is now for them to step up and show us what they are truly capable of.