Emery Positives

by .

via @Arsenal Instagram

I don’t know about you, but it just hit me hard that the Premier League season is nearly over.

What an unbelievable race it’s been.
Imagine being Liverpool and not winning the league with a points total as high as they are likely to go.
The greatest ever second placed finish of all time? Not an accolade Klopp or the Liverpool fans will relish. You never know, but it’s not looking good for them.
… but, hand it to Pep G. He’s the greatest. So many people want him to fail, but he, along with the MIGHTY Arteta are creating a brand of football that is once in a generation type stuff.
The issue the rest of the league has is that the football they deliver, at core, is about incredible coaching. They are spectacular on the ball, they are even better off it, then factor in that they are also the richest in the league… it’s simply not fair.
The Premier League can no longer be snarked at. Not only has it been the best league on the planet for years from an entertainment perspective, now it’s climbing up to the top from a technical viewpoint. More and more of the best players are slinking over here, and we’re making the other leagues look seriously weak. All Spain had was Ronaldo vs Messi.
That makes me very happy.
As a carry over from the argument I pitted against Emery yesterday, I do want to double down on some of the things I like about the manager, because those haven’t changed.
#1 He’s a fans manager
I genuinely think that he manages for the fans. I think he’s a acutely aware of the misery that we’ve been through over the past 10 years and I think he’s trying to give us something to smile about. Hard to say that about someone like Mourinho. I think Emery struggles a little bit to deliver what we truly want, but his focus always seems to be on getting the fans onside. I like that. I also like that he’s a fan on the touchline. His resting face is all of us sitting in the stands or at home.
#2 The man will pivot
I honestly thought that we were heading into Wenger MKII when the manager dropped his two best players to the bench. I couldn’t fathom that he might change his mind. To be fair to him, he’s done that a lot this season. The start of the year was marked by halftime changes in every game, which grew to look like indecision, but it was still a breath of fresh air. The latter half of the season saw him suck up a big chunk of his own pride as he reintegrated Ozil and Ramsey to great effect. A lot of people say this was his masterplan, I can assure that this damaging approach is never anyone’s masterplan. He dropped Aaron because he didn’t fancy him. He made a decision on him too early and he wanted rid. I think part of this decision making was down to not understanding the rigour of the league, but whatever, he brought him back. The Ozil fallout was even crazier, the player was literally trolling him online… but he brought him back. Say what you will about the German, he certainly bring flair to this squad. Say what you will about Emery, results come first.
#3 We’re a bit of a mystery
He’s a good tactician. Not a great one. But he’s certainly brought back an air of mystery to proceedings. He’s doing the basics, he’s looking at the opposition, he’s testing ideas, and he’s looking at the tools he has available and mostly using them correctly.
He’s still not perfect. I think his early season use of the squad left a lot to be desired. When I went to see us play Huddersfield at Christmas, we looked utterly one paced. I’d never seen a game so slow. Part of that is just not understanding the league. Pep and Klopp made the same mistake when they arrived here, both realised you can’t play the pressing game in the league because there are too many games and no winter break to speak of.
I also think some of his selections have been baffling. It’s like he sometimes picks his sides based on league position, versus the reality of the side. If you’re at PSG, a team in 10th is shite and you’ll steam them. In the Premier League, every team in the top 14 can beat you if you give them a disrespectful starting 11. Everton was the warning shot, and we could all see that coming. Palace was simply unforgivable considering the power, pace and giant killing power those boys have.
However, you have to say that we’re a force against big teams. We didn’t allow Napoli to score against us over 180 minutes. We’ve taken scalps against top 6 sides. We’ve competed in every one of those games bar the Liverpool one at Christmas. Whatever you think about the man, he has the players believing in the big moments, not something Wenger managed in his last ten years.
We’ve also clocked a lot of points in a dreary transition season. Year two, you’d hope the improvements would really bed in and we see true Emeryball.
I’ll land where I usually land. I think Emery is a transition manager. If he can get us into the Champions League, the selection has been a huge success. I don’t care about points accrued. It’s all about where we finish.
The big challenge we have as a club is what to do with that £45m investment. There is some serious wheeler-dealing to do and I don’t trust Raul and Emery to do it. We could really do with Paul Mitchel or a Luis Campos, otherwise this is going to be the blind leading the blind. Denis Suarez and Malcolm is where the thinking will be.
Right, that’s me done. BIG love to you all, see you in the comments.
P.S. SPURS CHOKED AGAIN. Right back in our hands. I am now convinced tomorrow will be an embarrassing loss to a Vardy Pardy, but let’s enjoy a day of laughing at Spurs.
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Un Na naai

Batistuta

I expect a smart manager to adapt his style to the personelle available.
A club like arsenal doesn’t have the money to buy who we want to fit systems.
The high line has been a negative feature all season and when we abandon it we play better
This team isn’t talented enough to play technical possession football either so couple that with a high line and we are playing the opposite style to the one we should be deploying.
This arsenal side is a counter at taking side and there for the taking with a high line

DaleDaGooner

Smart move for Brendan, Indidi was on a yellow, cunt ref may be tempted to even things up

Danny M.O

Playing xhaka who has no legs in a 442 vs athletes like ndidi and the other dude is criminal.

If iwobi was put through on his right then he has a 70% chance of scoring unlike 30% on his left peg.

Moray

Henry and Vieira must be turning in their graves.

Leftsidesanch

It is not a stretch to suggest that Leicester, Everton, Wolves, West Ham and Watford have squads of equal quality if not more than us. These squads are also more balanced than we are.

But all of a sudden, theres surprise that we aren’t pulling up trees in these evenly matched fixtures.

Arsenal need to bring in 6-7 players of quality this summer. The stench of the past remains too heavily in our starting 11s.

Batistuta

Un na

You still didn’t name who you’d prefer….

Bamford10

gambon

I’m honestly a little shocked by how poor your commentary has become. Are you seriously claiming that conceding possession and hitting on the counter is not a common and effective tactic away from home?

As for our possession being 26% (versus a more common 40% when adopting such a tactic), how is this on Emery as opposed to on the poverty of players he has at his disposal (Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Xhaka and Torreira).

You know very well that these are not good players, so please explain how this is on the manager.

Marc

This place is turning into fucking Untold.

Marko

We all knew this Leicester match was going to be tough away and we all know this current Arsenal team is rank average.

Not all it seems. It’s weird one of the guys complaining about our lack of possession is one of the biggest defenders of Granite Xhaka. It’s almost like he can’t put 2 and 2 together

Dissenter

Emery body work at Arsenal is detailed enough for anyone to reasonably have a good go at him.mn

I won’t be spontaneously defending nonsense again especially when it’s obvious.

That said, there’s no manager in the world who will get the nonsense that Wenger gathered together for £230 million tonally any better.

We don’t have wingers
We doin’t have proper central midfielders
We don’t have players that can cross the ball or strikers that can win headers.
We have the likes of Mustafa still starting games.

Bamford10

Leftside

That’s why I’m saying it’s going to take two summer windows to build a proper squad.

G

”If Wenger survived that we’d have a relegation battle to look forward to next season.”
Think your getting a bit carried away

Un Na naai

Lacazette picks up the ball there and nobody moved for him
Nobody showed
They just ball watched

TR7

Marko ‘ they’ve never looked like a well drilled unit how is that on the manager?’ When it comes to discipline at the back, training and tactics become more important than personnel. How many times have we seen one out of the back 4 making opposition striker onside due to ill discipline. How many times have we seen no man marking or even zonal marking while defending corners ? How about ensuring at least two defenders staying back to ensure to reduce the threat of conceding goals on counter attack. Our midfielders have completely stopped pressing. I mean there is… Read more »

Marc

It’s strange that under Wenger it was the players fault even though he was exclusively in charge of who was bought and now that same squad is fucking quality and the manager is at fault.

Guns of Hackney

Dissenter

The tinker man managed to get Leicester to win the league with much worse players and a fraction of the budget than Wenger or Unai have at their disposal. How?

Unai isn’t as good as his interview…obviously.

Dream10

We’ve gone for 4-3-2 with Larry Koscielny coming on. Rodgers bringing a fast aggressive wide runner in Harvey Barnes.

Samesong

Miki with another hospital pass.

Marc

TR7

What season are you referring to?

Bamford10

If we get a draw here, it will be a miracle. If we somehow managed to steal a win, it would be worthy of a parade. 😉

Un Na naai

Aubameyang is fucking useless
Cannot put his foot on the ball.
Can’t run off the shoulder
Can drop a shoulder

Looks like a donkey
Plays like a donkey

Guns of Hackney

Xhaka doing his Stephen Gerrard impression.

Dissenter

Bamford
gambon is no different from those trolls that used to visit from untold .
All he does is troll

Mics_

Beautifully overhit ball by Xhaka out for a goal kick, just love his long range passing ability.

/s, obviously.

Marko

Can someone tell me what Xhaka brings to the team? Nearly 3 seasons in now and he adds what exactly to the team?

Un Na naai

Tr7

Don’t waste your time
Marko is from the FIFA school of thought. Just buy new players eh marko

I mean coaching?? Fanciful

Nelson

Xhaka. What the fuck is that for a pass.

Champagne Charlie

Banford

Everyone is well aware of sitting deep, and countering.

It’s the simple fact that we weren’t doing that, we were getting our shit shoved in and outplayed. Wolves played counter attack football against us, see the difference?

Mics_

It is very, very worrying that we do not have a technical director yet.

I’d love to have Leicester’s midfield, and they didn’t cost an exorbitant amount. We just need someone with an eye for talent. Raul isn’t that man.

Guns of Hackney

No other clubs in for the goal machine Auba. That says a lot.

Our forwards do nothing to entertain the defenders. Rubbish.

Dissenter

Emery needs to take a gamble and play Saka or Nkettiah and tell him to run at them.

Ishola70

Leftsidesanch
“It is not a stretch to suggest that Leicester”

They need to buy a target CF to mix things up. They are too predictable offensively with Vardy and Maddison.

Good side apart from that miss at CF.

Guns of Hackney

Even the chain smoking, red bull drinking gypsy, Vardy offers more than our CFs.

Marc

“Aubameyang is fucking useless
Cannot put his foot on the ball.
Can’t run off the shoulder
Can drop a shoulder

Looks like a donkey
Plays like a donkey”

Joint 3rd highest scorer in the league this season but don’t let a simple thing like the facts get in the way of your agenda.

Dissenter

We need to play the freshest legs in the squad, probably Nkettiah to use for counters
Give a young one a chance.

Bamford10

Good tackle from Koscielny.

Mics_

“It’s the simple fact that we weren’t doing that, we were getting our shit shoved in and outplayed. Wolves played counter attack football against us, see the difference?”

This. Counter attacking is a fine strategy. But it’s not what we just saw in the first half.

Guns of Hackney

Marc

I think the critique for Auba is he does zero if he doesn’t score.

Dissenter

When isnthe last time an Arsenal striker won a header contested with a defender

Marko

When it comes to discipline at the back, training and tactics become more important than personnel. How many times have we seen one out of the back 4 making opposition striker onside due to ill discipline. I get you I hear you and while you think it’s the manager I believe it’s the dumbshit error prone players who literally can’t be thought a fucking thing. Put it this way there isn’t a manager in world football who can make these idiots look better than what they are. Pep or Simeone were to take over at Arsenal in the summer and… Read more »

Mics_

And I think I’ll have that drink now.

Siddharth14

It has started finally.

gambon

Bamford

Conceding possession and hitting on the counter is absolutely a verified tactic.

Constantly losing possession and failing to counter attack is not a tactic. It’s called being outplayed.

We did the latter for the first 45.

Paulinho

Xhaka tracking superbly again.

Guns of Brixton

Yaay
We losing

gambon

Emery: just defend it out guys

Lasted 13 minutes.

This team is fucking shocking.

Emery won’t get a second season. He’s miles out of his depth.

Bamford10

Shit. Good ball in, good finish. Now we need a goal. Let’s see how Emery reacts. Not that he has a lot of good options, but a smart manager will try to change something.

Un Na naai

Was always on the cards

I don’t know why I waste my time with this Cunt.
He’s lost 3/4 to palace Leicester and wolves
We got to the Europa semis though so he’s a genius eh?

Bamford10

James Maddison continues to look like a good shout.

Guns of Hackney

If you didn’t know this was 2019, it could easily be any date from 2010 onwards watching Arsenal play.

Awful.

Dissenter

We don’t often play lower clubs that have better players than Arsenal.
This is one of such moments.

DUIFG

This game was badly impacted by shocking refereeing but our away record at the end of this will continue to look dreadful.

Lucked out v Watford with deeney being a bellend

Un Na naai

And I think I’ll have that drink now.

Mics

I watched it yesterday
Very good
But too much sjw bullshit

bennydevito

Argggh where’s the marking? Tielemans completely unmarked and Leno rooted.

Top 4 over.

Nelson

Game over. Good night.

Mikki is a waste of space. Didn’t do shit.

Bring in youngsters now.

Kay

One job that xhaka needed to do.. Man mark maddison.

Pls sell xhaka ozil mustafi mikki iwobi and auba.

Clearly u21 s cant do any worse.

gonsterous

lmao. told you, the lads have already booked their holidays. We really need world class players, players that make a difference. We have 0 of those at the moment.

Leftsidesanch

Very damaging week from these bottlejobs.

Bamford10

gambon

You still haven’t answered the question re what is driving our inability to keep possession. Is it the manager’s organization of the team, or is it the poverty of the players at his disposal, esp. his midfield options? For me it is clearly the latter.

Un Na naai

Dissenter

Every club is better when we are away under emery. Except Napoli.

bennydevito

We’re going to finish 6th.

Siddharth14

When was the last time we saw Arsenal attempt anything remotely similar to that Leicester goal.

Our pattern is powder puff.

Marc

Fucking ref – let’s 2 fouls both worse than either of AMN and no cards / free kick given.

Dissenter

Mike Oliver is really cunting Arsenal
He should have given one yellow hormone of those fouls

Kay

Lets throw the towel on PL and concentrate on EL.

ddkingz

We should just forget this season already… and start discussions on our summer business and who should be at the dug out next season…

I have a topic, I’m a little concerned about…
if the summer budget is £45m, are we gonna pay the second installment on torreira transfer fee from our summer budget or what?

Leftsidesanch

Which is why I’ve been exercising caution.

You think this Arsenal side with the injuries and the way we’re playing can navigate a tie with Valencia and either of Chelsea/Frankfurt?! Dream on.

Mics_

Fuck, I would be okay with transition season(s), if it appeared that we were moving in a definite direction, if it looked like we were growing as a team, e.g., Klopp’s first couple of seasons. But we have no leadership from the executives, odd coaching decisions, and the same poor players. With the Prem so competitive now, it is frightening how easy it will be to slip out of the top six entirely. It’s not unfathomable that we become another ‘traditionally big club,’ like Newcastle or everton, though even Everton look like they’re moving in the right direction now.

DUIFG

We are in a really perilous position now that we don’t have CL.

Lost Ramsey Auba and mikki ozil a year older kos on his way out, no reserve gk when check leaves.

Guen is no longer the great hope.

You can understand why there are stories of keeping welbeck, lose him as well and we literally don’t have enough bodies.

London gunner

Loooool you want emery out? Who are we going to replace him with?

All the emery out club who gonna bring in? A former Arsenal player? Ogs is doing a great job at united isnt he.

WengerEagle

He bought Toreirra though Bamford who is one of those ‘poverty’ CM you talk about.

Dissenter

He should have given one yellow card of those fouls

Mark

Why wasn’t that a booking! Plays the advantage but should have still booked the player. Worse tackle than AMN’s

Marc

The ref suddenly finds his cards again for an Arsenal player.

Kay

This ref is defo on an agenda against Arsenal today.

Danny M.O

Subbing iwobi for koscielny was a dumb mistake…..

long range passing my back foot.

atleast iwobi would be a dribbling outlet.

gambon

It’s gonna be hilarious when Chelsea beat us in the EL final and we’ve wasted a whole season.

So glad Benidorm Pulis decided to rest players against Palace to keep players fresh for these tougher games.

Un Na naai

Kay

And who is Torreira marking dopey? He’s our dfm.

Marc

London

I’ve asked that question repeatedly and they never answer it. I wonder why?

Marko

Emery won’t get a second season. He’s miles out of his depth.

I bet he will

Leftsidesanch

We should bring on Nketiah we have nothing to lose at this stage.

Siddharth14

Just bring off auba and laca. It’s painful to watch those two at the moment.

London gunner

Season has gone to shit though. As another poster said its all on the EL now.

Problem is we are in such awful form can see us losing to Valencia.

Dissenter

There’s no way Emery is not going to finish his contract
So stop moaning because he’s had to deal with a shifting backroom and useless Wenger players.
He will get another season with some needed changes in the summer

Marko

It’s gonna be hilarious when Chelsea beat us in the EL final and we’ve wasted a whole season.

I wouldn’t think that would be funny

Batistuta

Been saying for what a month or two now that the Europa league is our best bet….We do not have the squad or quality to navigate both

Un Na naai

He’s added 6 new players but is still as bad as Wenger in his two worst seasons!!!

Getting very hard to defend our MOYES these days isn’t it lads?

Bamford10

WE

Yes, he did. And Torreira wasn’t a bad signing, all things considered. He is the kind of player we need, and he was signed at a reasonable price point. However, he isn’t quite as good as they or we might have hoped, IMO. At the same time, he might be decent with better players around him, so one can’t write him off.

Regardless, he isn’t some terrible signing, and he isn’t a stick one can beat Emery with, even if he isn’t quite as good as they/we might have hoped.

Paulinho

It’s like this team has been designed perfectly to be incapable of passing through the lines when pressed.

Midfield that can’t handle a press, and forwards that could’t hold up a newspaper, never mind the ball.

TR7

‘Loooool you want emery out? Who are we going to replace him with?’

Emery is not Pep Guardiola for heaven’s sake. I am sure there are many who can do a better job.

WengerEagle

That reeks if Wenger that does.

‘Well who do we bring in if we’re to replace Emery?’

Really? You don’t think anyone would have done better this season than this shite we’re watching for large spells?

Batistuta

Valencia also played a full strength team today and lost….We should be fine against them

DUIFG

Emery needs to decide what direction we are going. He inherited a mess of a squad with poor wide options 2 10’s and 2 out and out number 1 strikers. We don’t need 2 of each, get rid and reinvest in a more balanced set up

London gunner

Un..

“He’s added 6 new players but is still as bad as Wenger in his two worst seasons!!!”

Well he has joined the club at an all time low… thanks to your man wenger who ruined the club and his legacy lol

PaddyGooner

Would any arsenal players get on the leicester team, except Leno?

Kay

Un
Yeah Torr is Dfm and what the hell is Xhaka then? Torr is playing b2b now.
You re being more dopey than me?

Marc

Marko

Of course he will – now if he doesn’t start to get any improvement next season he won’t see the year long extension on his contract activated and the reason posters on here will be 100%fine with that the clown school however will be disappointed that Wenger will not get the job again.

Batistuta

Tr7

Still waiting for your suggestion as to who would do a better job with this squad and our finances

Marc

At the other end that’s a pen.

Dissenter

When is the last time an Arsenal player won a header again a defender?

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