via @Arsenal Instagram
Arsenal is interested in hiring Edu as a technical director. The classy Brazilian who had an injury prone stint with us way back when has played the role of Director of Football at Corinthians, and he’s now the Technical Director for the Brazilian national team.
It’s unclear what exactly this technical director role would entail and which part of the business he’d be looking after, but you’d assume if Sven is looking after recruitment and scouting, then maybe Edu would be responsible for excellence elsewhere in the club.
It’s hard to say whether a hire like this is a good one. On the upswing of things, he was part of some spectacular moments in our history (when we played stunning football). He knows the club, he knows London, and from an experience perspective, he’s been all around the world and seen how many different clubs do things from top to bottom.
A specialist voice in the room who has actually been a very good footballer working with the coaches to help define a playing style and identity would be very interesting. Working out how you scale that vision across the club then becomes a very fascinating role. Again, I’m not exactly sure how operations like this work, but once you have your north star of who and what you want to be, one would assume you have to build your whole structure around it.
It’s quite an undertaking. You need to hire the right kind of coaches who share the same beliefs. I think Red Bull do a really incredible job of this. Bringing people through the ranks at their various clubs. They seem to have a Google-like mentality, bring in the best at a young age and train them in the ways they set out as the standard. It’s a competitive game as well. A few seasons back, I heard from a source in Germany that a lot of clubs were tracking Red Bull’s Zsolt Low, a coach that wasn’t very well known in the mainstream, but he was a hidden superstar that Rangnick adored for his intelligence and innovation. He eventually found his way to PSG last year for £1.3m (record for an assistant). That’s why I was so surprised Arsenal let Emery bring in all his mates at Arsenal, versus building a team around him like a lot of the best run clubs do now.
You need to find players with all the correct technical attributes, but also, they need to want to play that way. The pressing philosophy they enact at Spurs only works because they find boys that will work like dogs for the greater good. Emery has been with us for over half a year now, and he still can’t find the consistency of pressing that you need to be a threat. How do we solve for that?
You’ll also need to have somebody at the club who is paying attention to the trends that are coming out of the game. Who are the next hot managers? Which are doing interesting things? What can we learn from these people and how can we integrate it into what we do at Arsenal?
Then you can start to get really deep. How are the club training the brains of players? How are Arsenal approaching cognition in football? This quote from Dr. Dan Bishop from Brunel’s Center for Sports Medicine and Human Performance is very interesting.
A lot of our fatigue is down to us not being able to coast in any of our league games Not being in front at half time has meant that we have had to play at 100% for almost the full 90 minutes . Top teams kill of the game by half time but for us , this season we haven’t had that luxury . I’ve said from day one that the amount of leg work our full backs are being asked to do will create fatigue and injuries. Monreal,bellerin ,Kolasinac , lichsteiner have all had muscle injuries and Pedro… Read more »
CA, really have my doubts the fitness levels were disgusting. Shad Forsythe and Burgess know their shit. We finished 5th last year, not 19th.
Emery is always going to leak that the place was a disgrace, standard with anyone moving into a new job.
Klopp did cause issues at Liverpool fitness-wise, and he did the exact same thing at Dortmund. Think they’re still trying to rectify those issues by playing at a lower tempo this season.
Marko
“Isn’t there a stat earlier in the season about us running more this season too? I mean they’re being asked to do more than they’ve been used to in the last few years maybe that has to do with the injuries”
You don’t say ….and it’s taken you 4 months for that to digest into your brain has it .
Gambon, exactly. Making players run harder seems like a bit of a weak antidote to our problems.
Do we even really press? Seems very inconsistent to me.
Pedro
“Klopp did cause issues at Liverpool fitness-wise, and he did the exact same thing at Dortmund. Think they’re still trying to rectify those issues by playing at a lower tempo this season.”
Correct…I made that point earlier .
Pedro has a massive agenda, reason he attacks Emery because he wanted arteta for manager.
Why? Because maybe he has access to Arteta or had an insider connected to him.
Either way take everything Pedro says with a massive pinch of salt he is the Dane guy who backed Gazidis to the hilt for a long time.
No offence intended as this is great blog but the articles on this site aren’t facts they are opinions usually connected to some ulterior agenda.
Makes you wonder if Emery knows wht hes doing.
Stick to what’s being discussed is he or the conditions coach he brought with him to blame for injuries?
“Makes you wonder if Emery knows wht hes doing.”
Can’t fluke 3 Europa cup victories in a row.
London, I attack Emery because he’s bang average, which everyone knew at the time we hired him.
So it’s proved so far… and I’d bet my house that’s how it remains.
Pedro No I can buy it. This lot were pathetic, weak, lazy, mollycoddled. I imagine most anyone walking into this lot would have been disgusted by the lack of application and physicality in the side. Emery had a fitness area put up on the training pitches as well, banned certain drinks etc. I don’t think we can stress how much of a culture shift has occurred at the club. Off the field the changes have been huge and on it we’re trying to completely change the course we were on. The whole Ozil situation is a small battle summing up… Read more »
Why dont we go for Memphis Depay….could have a similar effect getting a second shot at the premiere league just like Salah, he would have something to prove.
I know Lyon are playing him as a striker, but he was originally a winger and now more accomplished in front of goal.
That would be my primary wing player. I would also go for Koulibaly of Macguire and then Diawara from Napoli in midfield.
What do you guys think about of Memphis. Gives us many options. Can play 3 up top, or any two of Auba, Laca, Memphis.
Marko
“Even in the last couple days Torreira went to Disneyland and Xhaka went skiing.”
Marc said we should send Torriera on holiday and now you’re complaining.
London, the narrative of this site is fueled by people that know more about the game than you or I.
Emery will flop, he was a poor hire.
Don’t worry Cesc Appeal, he will be back soon,probably as captain and the crowd will be singing his name .
Strangely, the most fundamental change our erstwhile manager made is rarely, if ever, mentioned. He institutionalized the Club in a very French way. Rather like IOC, Fifa, UEFA, EU. Nobody noticed until he was done.
CA, again, he put a gym outside… which was pointless… and he banned fruit juice, which makes no difference to a professional athlete that burns thousands of calories every day.
Can’t get behind that. The modern equivalent of banning gloves.
We’re in a great position though, off the field we’re leaving the dark ages brought about by Wenger, I’m pretty sure we’d still be using typewriters in the offices if he had his way. On the field though, if Emery’s approach is not looking good by September after he’s had a season and another summer window the club will start looking for someone else and his contract allows us to do that with no fuss. Emery was a very smart from the club considering the off field changes we’re seeing. Appointing a baggage handler or someone who just totally tanked… Read more »
“London, I attack Emery because he’s bang average, which everyone knew at the time we hired him.So it’s proved so far… and I’d bet my house that’s how it remains.”
But you supported who Arteta who we can’t even class as average because he’s not managed to lose the only game he’s managed so far.
On another point, the average Emery is 3 points behind the Chavs and 7 points the “great” Pochettino half way through the season with a squad that has 0 wingers, no real AM and terrible defenders.
May be Pochettino isn’t so great after all.
Funny thing is when shad first came in I remember after a few months there was some asking questions of him because we were still getting hit by the injury bug and granted it got a bit better last season but we’ve always had those issues. To try and blame it on one of the new manager’s hires because you don’t like him is pretty ridiculous. To try to compare the hiring of Emery to being like Wenger mark 2 is agenda driven bollox too. Pardon my French
Ja Gunner
If we only had the $$
I would take the entire Lyon midfield
‘Can’t get behind that. The modern equivalent of banning gloves.’
Not sure about this.
Marc said we should send Torriera on holiday and now you’re complaining
Was I complaining dumbo? Pedro like yourself is making the statement that we’re working the players too hard in training double sessions he said and I said that was preseason he gives them days off shown by some of the players going on a break recently. How’s that complaining?
Both Spuds and Chelsea are going at full strength.
Pedro
I want to kiss your arsenal cheeks.
Off course- U are RIGHT
LETS NOT KID OURSELEVES.
EMERY WAS THE WRONG CHOICE!
And he is bang average.
In life -people, make mistakes all the times.
The clever ones Admit this – rectify and put right.
He must go.
Pedro
Certain fruit juices can create unhealthy spikes in insulin.
Wasnt a certain poster uber critical of legrove stating that we don’t support the team etc. The same poster is now hoping Emery gets sacked. If that is to happen, that is as a result of us not doing well. Surely thats not what you want?
Pedro needs to up the section where we can put an ignore button on certain posters. Its hard to ignore when theres so much idiocy coming from one poster.
he put a gym outside… which was pointless… and he banned fruit juice, which makes no difference to a professional athlete that burns thousands of calories every day. Can’t get behind that.
The gym outside stuff was preseason and you are probably the only person who has a problem with it. You don’t need to get behind it. It’s actually amazing how transparent you’ve become the last couple of months. Really something to behold. It’s like a grudge but weirder
Tony
You doughnut
What makes you think I haven’t travelled?? I was a long haired shark toothed necklace wearing hippy in my early twenties
Did Thailand too.
Just because I no longer subscribe to hippy sentimental guff does not mean that I haven’t seen the world
Still…lots more to see and I fully intend to.
Pedro likes to rave about how Pochettino is so good as a manager, but this was his record after his first season at Spurs
G W D L GF GA
38 19 7 12 58 53
Anyone who can call Pochettino a good manager with this record after one season and say Emery is average after half a season should hide his head in the sand.
Pedro
Emery is in 5th place with a 5th place squad. You cant argue he is underperforming when the 4 teams ahead of him all clearly have drastically better squads. The fact he is he is doing well for the first season in a new league with the previous regimes team.
Not to say we cant improve but it really .boils down to bringing in the right players.
“London, the narrative of this site is fueled by people that know more about the game than you or I. Emery will flop, he was a poor hire.” Emery has an anti-Arsene buffer for some people. You might have long held a view against Wenger, but it’s not the contextual element you take when discussing all things Arsenal. You judge things as they are. Emery was a fanciful hire, but with a decade in management you can make a strong case for the level of manager he is – and that’s not top table. Of course it’s heresy to say… Read more »
London
That’s interesting – My grandmother was diabetic and never mentioned certain fruit juices to be either good or bad.
London, it’s a petulant power move.
Our first half displays are down to our Strikers not being up to scratch
We have one who relies on sitters and the other not being lethal enough.
Marc
Yeah unfortunately I have quite a bit of diabetes in my family. Some fruits you should really stay away from, but primarily fruit drinks as they are full of additives.
London, our defending has got worse. We’re worse going forward. Stylistically it’s dreadful to watch. We’ve only led once going into halftime.
You absolutely can and should expect more.
Emery does have 7 more points than in the corresponding fixtures last season. It’s not going to happen over night.
I could take Pedro’s comments far more seriously if he didn’t have Arteta posters all over his bedroom still!
Marc, don’t try and control my poster choices.
Pedro I am not lost on the long term effect that proper training and physio regimens can have on a body and injury prevention. But for anyone to say they know the cause behind any given impact injury is fucking ludicrous. No amount of training allows a knee to bend the wrong way or an ankle to roll just the right amount where it allows a proper cut as opposed to an injury. A tackle coming in a one speed may break a fibula, another might cause just a scrape. The difference could be a centimeter of positioning or angling.… Read more »
London
Yeah but I thought Emery banned fresh fruit juices – something I thought sounded bonkers. I’m a firm believer in a decent sized glass of fresh orange juice is bloody good for you.
Marc
He banned fruit juice because he only likes freshly squeezed I think.
Fruit juices can have more sugar in them than Coca Cola.
Pedro
Your Mum asked me to intervene! Said it’s time that boy grew up stopped twating about with football, found himself a nice girl and gave me some grandchildren.
Tell me that doesn’t sound like your Mum?
CC
I think its reasonable to give Emery a full season. Are you suggesting we sack him now? Not really what your end game is here?
If he finishes 5th, a couple points of 4th and say reaches an Europa final with this squad we can say that’s an ok season and he does enough to justify one more season/half to improve on.
If he by some miracle gets CL football with this complete dross squad that’s an A plus and really should be applauded.cant see that happening as the team is just too poor.
Charlie literally everything you just said is all well and good and you’re probably right to a certain extent. And with all that in mind I’m sure you’d be against someone like Arteta who also has never won a title with a country backing him or couldn’t possibly be described as an Everton manager ripping up the Europa League (interesting point).
Marc
Depends how much you drink. Your not supposed to have 15 fruits a day thanks a fuck Load of sugar. That’s equivalent to like 4 cups of juice.
Emery would stroll to the title were he managing Man City.
Emery shits all over Pellegrini.
Cesc
Right OK need to check what was banned. Fresh juice is really good for you and I don’t give a fuck about the neutralist’s whinging about sugar.
If you’re talking about other stuff it might as well be fucking sunny delight.
This has got off topic anyway, Klopp broke a lot of Liverpool players when he first arrived because he insists on lots of running, lots of pressing. Emery is doing the same thing, any manager would have done the same thing with this lot. If Klopp had arrived the same thing would have happened. You only have to listen to the Arsenal players saying training is more intense under Emery and focused as opposed to hearing Keown or Parlour or whoever it was a few years ago saying Wenger’s training was the same as when they were there. The culture… Read more »
London
Yeah but anything is extreme levels is bad for you – except beer.
I got a good one lads.
Let’s all define what Emery needs to achieve by the end of the season to ensure his continuation as manager.
Let’s draw our lands in the sand.
Could be a Spud pen – gone to VAR
Even if he did ban OJ, what of it?
Is a glass of apple juice going to make the team play better? No? Then I could really give a toss what they ban. If it’s a matter of imposing some discipline on a team that almost everyone agrees were given free reign to express themselves and do whatever they want, then what is the issue even if it is a power move.
VAR… Kane is maybe upside
Marc
I think it was the fruit juices in bottles type thing not here’s an orange let me squeeze you some juice.
Marc
But it’s very easy to drink four cups of juice or more. Rather than eating 15 fruits in a bowl. It’s easier to indulge especially of you are running around and getting dehydrated in training. Could end up drinking unhealthy amounts very quickly.
‘but they’ll replace him with the red hot Barella’
Admittedly haven’t watched the chap but a quick look at Whoscored and his stats all across the board are decidedly average at best.
An attacking midfielder that doesn’t score or create goals or dribble well. Decent all-rounder but he’s not going to take that Chelsea CM up a notch.
I don’t think we’re worse going forward at all. About the same really
£45 Million for Barella as well when we’re struggling to pay for Suarez, no thanks.
Panelty for the Spuds
London Your post on 19:58 couldn’t be any more further from the truth I suppose almost half the blog also have this ‘massive agenda ‘ against Emery considering their opinion mirrors exactly that of Pedro in the sense that Emery hasn’t exactly swept anyone off the feet with his style(or lack) of play From where I sit the ‘massive agenda’ seem to emanate from your likes who look to place the manager before the club and wouldn’t entertain a word of dissent said against him however how legit those criticisms might be,you go on as if the man is some… Read more »
Could the keeper have got that?
No different angle keeper was no where near.
Just don’t bite. The bait has been thrown
Don’t play a highline vs Spuds.
An attacking midfielder that doesn’t score or create goals or dribble well. Decent all-rounder but he’s not going to take that Chelsea CM up a notch.
I don’t think he’s a CAM from what I hear he’s been likened to Verratti and has Napoli and Juve looking at him. Point is they’re letting go of a squad player at best with a young player with great potential.
It’s not Emery’s fault the club is not set up to winning trophies.
Name me a manager that can change it around in less than 6 months.
London
Yeah but they should be drinking lots of water as well. I’m talking a half pint glass maybe a little bigger of OJ a day. If someone is pushing the orange fruit close to extinction through over consumption then it needs to be dealt with.
Can’t for the life of me work out why agents consistently use a skint Arsenal to raise their clients’ profiles.
Didn’t Wenger say he would have a job by now? Cannot think why he hasn’t got one yet
From where I sit the ‘massive agenda’ seem to emanate from your likes who look to place the manager before the club and wouldn’t entertain a word of dissent said against him however how legit those criticisms might be,you go on as if the man is some idol
Oh hello irony my old friend
London Honestly some of the people sticking up for Emery are not as enamored with him as the rest might think. It’s just a measured approach, being less emotional, whether that emotion is attached to Wenger leaving or dissatisfaction at the managerial choice, sometimes both. Using things like fruit juice bans as reasons for a manager being less than is just really obvious propaganda in my opinion. If the club (not just Emery but the whole team) continue to make decisions in which I can see the sense and vision, then I will support him regardless. I won’t need to… Read more »
This Chelsea is really going to need something pretty spectacular to replace Hazard in the Summer.
Marko
Paredes would be a better signing for them although he’s not too far removed from Jorginho, bit strange from that pov.
Surprised that they’re going to let Hudson-Odoi slip through the net to Bayern too, boy looks a top talent. Could be Sancho all over again.
Funny how the anti wenger brigade are juxtaposed to Pedro recently.
“Oh hello irony my old friend”
Isn’t that a Simon and Garfunkel song?
Un na
There’s a difference between starting a revolution because one is necessary and causing a revolution because that’s what you’re used to doing.
Marc Well it sure won’t cut it with Pulisic alone. My guess is that Real Madrid shell out 150 million for Hazard which they really ought to have done this summer as failing to replace Ronaldo was mental. Vinicius Junior isn’t even close to being ready to have an impact on the first team and he’s the only player you bring in after shipping off your best player and goalscorer? Chelsea will likely use that money to buy another two or three players onto Pulisic, Hazard has been the best player in the PL for a number of years now… Read more »
“There’s a difference between starting a revolution because one is necessary and causing a revolution because that’s what you’re used to doing.”
Or even just bitching because you didn’t get you way.
CA
Yeah gonna ignore him tbh. Debating with fools just makes both parties more foolish.
That’s why he wants to go WE he’s seen what Sancho is doing and wants the same. If I was him though I’d go elsewhere I can see Bayern being a bad move. Lad might have been better off coming to a club like us before a step up to Bayern. He’s absolutely right to get out of Chelsea though with their record of bringing through young English lads in recent years. And they only started to play him when the links came out
Arteta has better hair than emery
He’s a better passer
He played at a higher level
He speaks better English
All prerequisites for a successful arsenal manager
WengerEagle
I can’t say I’ve ever noticed Pulisic playing. From what I’ve read it almost sounds like a commercial deal to generate interest in the states. Couldn’t do that with a low fee so they must think it will earn them money some how.
Chelsea will likely use that money to buy another two or three players onto Pulisic, Hazard has been the best player in the PL for a number of years now in my book so it does looks bleak for them if they lose him.
WE
When Sanchez was here he didn’t compare
Sanchez was the best player in the league during his time at arsenal
Hands—————-down
Why do the comments never relate to the article written? Its stupid.
Good article.
Un na
People are allowed their own opinions on best players etc – except if you’re Pierre where the simple fact is Ozil is all washed up.
Samesong
People on average just aren’t very fair and measured.
I dont even love Emery he doubtless has his faults (like all managers). I’m just willing to give him a fair crack of the whip.
After all it’s not like he is failing at the moment he is literally fifth with a fifth based squad punching his weight in his first season. Not spectacular not terrible, just like Klopp and poch were not spectacular in their respective first seasons.
Marko Would normally concur but this current Bayern side is the worst that they have had for close to a decade, combination of a host of players not good enough with aging stars in Ribery. Robben and players perpetually out of form to the point that you’d argue that they’ve lost it, Muller being the main one that springs to mind, Alaba and Neuer secondary. Kovac also instigating a petty feud with their best Bundesliga performer last season in James who he now refuses to start. Point is that they’re kind of in disarray and look miles off of Dortmund,… Read more »
WE
Is pulisic not that good? His highlights for BVB look epic like he looks an elite level player but they are highlights after all.
Just checked his stats and they are very average indeed.
Marc
The kid can ball, one of the best dribblers in Europe on his day. His end product pales in comparison to a young Hazard though who just looked a different kind of special.
Marc
I know
That’s why eagle thoughtbone player was ze best and I disagreed
It’s more commonly referred to as debate
I thought one player was ze best
Not bone
Levy looks like one of those bad guy in James Bond movies
I’m not sure they replace Ribery and Robben with him though and I think for all those reasons you just said the expectation for an instant impact from him might be too much. At that age he could probably do without especially considering that this is his first proper season of big boy football.
Unn
Hazard was better than Sanchez, the latter may have edged him in stats but Hazard spearheaded two title winning campaigns in that timeframe being the best player.
15/16 he had a poor season but most Chelsea players did when they downed tools on Mourinho.
Watched Pulisic a handful of times, also my half brother is from Dortmund and is a BVB supporter. He doesn’t seem that upset to see him go, rather surprised at the fee they got for him. No doubt they’ll put it to good use.
I don’t think he is going to be great, of course early returns but just doesn’t pass the eye test for me. Think his value is being massively overhyped by the fact that he is the “best American”.
Arteta was a decent player for Everton and a lemon when he signed for Arsenal.
LG
He’s yet to find a reliable end product and as talented a dribbler as he is, he can be a turnover machine on his off days which means when he’s bad, he’s really bad.
Good talent but doesn’t even compare to an elite well-oiled fully developed baller like Hazard so they will struggle if RM snag him.
Marko
The lad is obviously exceptionally confident in his own ability and backs himself in the way that Pogba and Jadon Sancho did. Both went straight into Juventus and Dortmund and asserted themselves quickly.
Whether he is as good we have yet to find out. Couldn’t be much worse than Muller of recent years tbh.
Muller/Ribery of recent years
Love whenever an English player dives its regarded as “clever plat” but when one of those filthy foreigners does it its called as a dive…. no hypocrisy there.