Unai Emery Under Fire After Shaky Beginning To Season

Unai Emery might have been the most relieved in the Arsenal dressing room after the 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa.

The Gunner rallied back even after going down twice and losing one of their players to a red card.

Overall, it was a stunning display of sportsmanship and determination from the Gunners players but questions remain over how they are being coached. This was their third game against a lower table opposition this season in which they managed to win by just one goal and the 2-2 draw against Watford was simply a disaster.

With Arsenal fourth in the Premier League standings, there might be a false sense of hope that Unai Emery has managed to weather the early storm but that is far from the truth. Last night, the Gunners allowed 21 shots from the opposition number and prior to that, 24 from Eintracht Frankfurt in the 0-3 Europa League win.

They recorded the highest number of shots conceded (31) against Watford last weekend as they continue to top the charts in this particular aspect, among all the clubs in Europe’s top five leagues. It can no longer be tied down to a simple defensive issue when every Arsenal player out there looks as clueless as the next.

For Joh McGinn’s goal, the entire Arsenal defence parted to let the midfielder score a tap in and Wesley was far too poorly marked to be allowed to score the second. We are starting to see a continuous pattern of miscommunication among the players and a clear sense of objective on the pitch.

Instead of working like a unit, opposition teams are being allowed to run in towards the Arsenal backline and score without much resistance. Emery’s inability to tie down a firm starting XI or choose a fixed formation has played into the chaos at North London.

It has still only been 7 games this season but there is voice growing among the Arsenal faithful on why Emery might have to leave soon. Read what Alan Smith had to say about the Spanish manager – “Maybe it is down to a lack of understanding. I have heard whispers, after all, that some of the players find their manager’s instructions confusing, that they do not really know what he wants them to do. If so, that does not bode well. A clarity of purpose is essential.”