Arsenal finished fifth as the curtains came down on the 2018/2019 English Premier League season last Sunday. After failing to finish within the top four, and claim a Champions League spot, the Gunners hopes of competing in Europe’s elite competition next season now depends on their Europa League final against Chelsea.
Looking back on Emery first campaign at the Emirates here are some of the things that stood out through the season.
Vulnerability on the road
Out of 19 away games, the Gunners just won 7, drew 4 and lost 8. This is a dismal return from a club that considers itself to be among Europe’s best. Considering the League table solely on away results Arsenal finished eighth, below Crystal Palace and Leicester respectively, and all the top-six rivals. When Emery signed he knew the task that awaited him but he has done little to improve the away record even though statistics show that there has been a slight improvement from 2017/2018.
Given how things have laudably fared on at home it’s really tricky to pick an excuse for the devastating away performance. Could it be a personal issue? What about the away tactics: Were the systems and formations used away from home fitting? The argument around personnel might not be candid as the same group of players were exceptional at home. You only use what you have and maybe Emery should have adjusted his away tactics to fit the capacity of the players at his disposal. If the problem is mental fragility then Emery cannot credibly lay claim to improvement when the same was a colossal concern during the Arsène Wenger’s final years. The Premier League off-season will be reflection period for Emery, He needs to turnaround the status-quo before it becomes reprehensible, if it is not yet.
Defensive frailties
When Emery was tasked with the Emirates job many fans expected him to spearhead a revolution and seal the defensive holes. However, statistics prove that he has done nothing fix Arsenal’s porous backline. This team can’t stop conceding goals and just like in the 2017-2018 season they allowed 51 goals in their net in the just ended season. Eight clean-sheets in 38 games is just disastrous for any team that hopes of lifting the Premier League and Emery must improve to fight for the title.
Despite impressing going forward Arsenal have looked fragile and defective at the back. With 13 errors leading to goals, it is easy to argue that the problem is a personnel issue. For some time now Shkodran Mustafi has predominantly been the scapegoat for the susceptibility and has been labeled a liability but this can only aid in hiding the bigger picture- everything about the defence is not good. During the last summer, it was deemed that the acquisition of Sokratis Papasthatopolous and Stephan Lichtsteiner would help in solving this nagging problem but all hasn’t gone as assumed. The defence is a crisis at Arsenal and something desperately needs to be done. With the transfer window looming and with speculations on decent prospects persisting it will be interesting to see Emery’s action.
No first eleven
Almost a year into his North London career it is impartial to say that Emery still doesn’t know his best Arsenal XI. It is just Bernd Leno and maybe Aubameyang assured of being in the first eleven. Throughout the season the manager has experimented with different players in various positions and this hasn’t helped to generate stability. Players need relatively permanent positions to perform consistently. Of course, this doesn’t imply that they can never be utilized new roles in the event of a tactical change or an emergency. In the just-ended season, central defence and midfield were the most affected as different combinations were cyclically applied and it is challenging to know Emery’s best players in those positions for any given formation.
Maybe injuries could have been a disruption: Despite the long term injuries to Héctor Bellerín, Rob Holding and Danny Welbeck most first-team players were always in and out of the treatment table. To be fair, Emery inherited most players in the current squad and maybe he doesn’t trust them to exceptionally deliver week in week out. Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey, for instance, were among Arsène Wenger’s trusted players but Emery’s reign has witnessed puzzles with the two in the name of tactics. This phenomenon was anticipated: with only one ‘active’ transfer window, Emery needed some time to evaluate his options. However, the assessment period is over and the fans will eager to see a competitive first eleven next season.
Improvement in big games
Arsenal thrashed by Manchester United, Anfield humiliation. The Gunners battered by Manchester City. Remember such headlines? Such had become the norm in Arsene Wenger’s era, mostly in his final years. The fans dreaded big games. Match-days against top-six opponents were filled with despair for the Emirates faithful but Unai Emery has significantly changed this. Under his tutelage, the Gunners have indeed improved against their top six rivals.
The 2017-2018 season saw the North-London club earn a paltry 6 points from a possible 30 whereas in 2018-2019 they amassed 12 points. The accomplishment against the top six has been manifest progress in Emery’s first season and it should only get better. Having beaten Manchester United 2-0, Chelsea 2-0 and Tottenham 4-2 it is easy to notice home consistency and the fans will now be asking for the same away from the Emirates next season. Someway the psychological impediments have been exterminated and there is a renewed belief on how the manager and his players approach these matches.
