One of the biggest debates among us Arsenal fans is what the hell is happening with our away form and what is need to put it right.
With four away games form our six remaining matches it is imperative that we address the issue, find a solution and secure a top-four spot, however, that is easier said than done. Unai Emery is at least saying the right thing and has said is in discussions with the players on how to get things on track again.
“We were speaking in the dressing room how we can fix our problem” he said. “We need to improve. We need sometimes patience to improve this spirit. We can be critical of ourselves for our away performances”
“We are consistent this season but if we need to improve something, it’s our away form. If we win, we can continue in fourth. We must show everybody we can finish in this position.
“We spoke a lot about that and what we need to improve. We need sometimes patience to improve this spirit. We can be critical of ourselves for our away performances.
“With consistency in our mentality we can build up better performances away. I’m sure we’re going to find it.”
The thing is this though, what if the problem is not the players, what if the real problem is the manager?
It cannot be ignored that in his final year in Spain when he was the manager at Sevilla, that he never won a single league away game and it cannot be ignored that his team selections this season on the road have left a lot to be desired.
What happened at Everton was a surprise. Not because we lost but because of the manner of that loss, the truth is that as soon as the team was announced there was a general feeling of negativity, the team simply did not look good on paper and it proved to be the case in the match.
It cannot be a coincidence that Emery has a record of going through periods of poor away form and maybe he should be looking at himself and the decisions he has been making as opposed to always looking at the players.
I am not excusing the players, they are paid enough, and should have been good enough to win some of the away games we lost. But they take their instructions from the manager and if the players are unable to implement Emery’s instructions then he has to ask himself, why is that?
So, what is the answer? I do not know, it is obviously mental to some degree and who is responsible for that deficiency? Emery is too good a manager for us to lose him, but he has to find a solution and fast.