Emery’s statistical savaging

by .

Unai Emery is like one of those rich billionaire folk that falls off a boat in a hooker accident. The family are waiting for the major payouts only to find out the whole wealth game is a fucking charade.

Arsenal sit 19th in the league for pressing, almost twice as ineffective as the leaders (Leicester I think).

Data via @UtdArena

Data:

  • 8.30 – Manchester United (3rd)
  • 8.38 – Liverpool (4th)
  • 8.72 – Manchester City (5th)
  • 10.20 – Tottenham (9th)
  • 10.39 – Chelsea (10th)
  • 14.71 – Arsenal (19th)

That is some stat. But what does it mean? It’s hard to know, because really, what does Emery mean in general? Who is he? What does he stand for?

Some rumours are doing the rounds that the players say he doesn’t coach the press in training. Why would you take that approach in the Premier League? I thought he was a drill sergeant?

Could be worse though, he could be asking the players to press, but they’re not listening.

Whatever the deal, we’re absolutely awful without the ball moving forward and when we defend. Our transitions from deep, which you’d imagine he is coaching, are horrible, the players don’t know where to stand to create passing channels.

Sky Sports also ran a horrific set of numbers.

That is since Emery took over. Rumours are that the internal numbers the club has are even more depressing.

Fans went from, ‘give him time, it’ll come round’, to, ‘FUCK PULL THE  RIPCORD WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE.’

Truth is, we’re somewhere in the middle. We might not die, but it’s looking increasingly likely we’re going to sprain an ankle out here if he doesn’t stop the rot soon.

Thing is, none of this is new. It’s been happening since our 22 game unbeaten run when we ignored our eyes because, you know, victories do that to a man/woman/child. I think it’s fair to say that we all wanted to believe as well. We used to do it under Wenger, we’d win ugly 9 times in a row and convince us that the shitty underlying performances were ‘exactly what we’ve been missing’, then the correction would land.

There is a familiar tipping point for nearly all Arsenal fans: Xhaka.

As Aash said on the podcast, the saddest indictment of the weekend was listening to OUR CAPTAIN tell the press that Arsenal were scared. That is an abomination. You can’t read that in a postive light. There are serious issues on the pitch, but even bigger ones off it if that’s an acceptable line to roll out to 100m people. Unai Emery told us last season he wouldn’t let players behave like cowards… a year on, it’s looking like that’s par the course when the going gets tough.

Auba was caught leaving a club at 3am looking very dazed.

I don’t blame him.

His goals should have us top of the league. If our pragmatic manager was good enough to, you know, park a bus properly, we could feed off his elite finishing all the way to fourth. But things are so bad, we can’t even stop the flow of shots with 3 holding midfielders in the team.

I repeat: We can’t park a bus.

The odds on Emery leaving before Christmas are increasing. I was told it was unlikely, but I can’t see Arsenal sitting on their hands if things don’t improve drastically.

It’s interesting to strategise what the club does. I think Freddie would be tempting based on what Chelsea have done, but please, look at what Chelsea have done. I don’t think you can let Freddie pick up December misery. That’d be like throwing on a kid to chase a game in which you are being beasted. Lots of fans talking about Jose, I’ve flirted, but I have my sensible hat back on and it’d be a disaster. He’s toxic, he’d make it all about him, and I don’t think players care for him anymore. He’s mean and he’s been a disgrace to Arsenal over the years. I think the smarted move would be Allegri. An elite Sam Allardyce. Strengthen the defensive structure of the team and create a system that can feed our finishers. The saucy Italian is out of a job, it’d make a lot of sense. Let me know what you’d do should the best worst happen.

We have Frankfurt away from home on Thursday. The season isn’t over. We can use that competition to inject a bit of form into the legs. Well, not with the first team, that should be a reserves exhibition. Still, any victory would be an exciting one for me at the moment.

A performance is needed, I’ll talk more about what that looks like tomorrow.

See you in the comments. x

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Champagne charlie

Good day all

Tony why on earth are you spending 70mins on your ab’s pal? That’s an inordinate amount of time for them, is it an accessory to another endeavour?

You weren’t Twerk champion 1967 by chance?

Un na naai

Dissenter Bellerin is hardly Thurman Plenty of gaps and mistakes in his game defensively Can’t cross Can’t really dribble Just push and run. He was looking better for a while last season under emery but we were winning then This is an arsenal low on confidence and all over the shop defensively My hopes are on tierney and holding and possibly chambers alongside him to tighten things up there The only time we haven’t conceded this season (while looking solid) is with chambers at centre half. Soon as we dropped him we went to shit Leftside That a mission I… Read more »

Dissenter

Valentin I take your point about Koulibaly. It’s true that African teams are looking to the diaspora to get talent so they scout black French players to,play for them. That’s started in the early 1980s and has taken life if it’s own now. I believe Nigeria has made overtures to Abraham at Chelsea already. At least 20 percent of the best talent in the Arsenal academy qualify to play for Nigeria. That said, it’s still common place for kids to play the game for the first time without shoes on dirt fields. The best talent are then siphoned off into… Read more »

Un na naai

Thuram- not Thurman 😝

Dissenter

TR7
‘Really can’t blame AMN for his performances when he is played out of position. Expecting a central mid to excel at RB is crazy’

That’s why he should have been sold. He’s not good enough to play as central midfielder and has not acquired much senior experience in that position..
He’s a lousy right back who cannot defend to save his life.
What’s the point of persisting with him. He’s the quintessential square peg in round hole, only the peg wasn’t even good enough to start with.

Dissenter

Unai na
When I say we get a proper right back to ‘challenge’ Bellerin, I meant a RB to replace Bellerin.
I’m not a fan of Bellerin, never been enamored of his defensive skills. Let’s seek a defensive minded one like Nacho Monreal, not another converted winger.

Dissenter

If Tony is spending 70 minutes on his abs, how long is he spending on working his gluteus Maximus?
Just a thought
Serious question, how long are you lot spending on your abs? Get those anterior abdominal muscles in good shape now.

Un na naai

“individual games, Emery has made decisions that have served to increase the stress placed on a defence that already looks to be suffering from PTSD. Playing Granit Xhaka at the base of a midfield diamond is a baffling decision, really. It means that Xhaka is left on his own to cover lots of ground in front of his defenders. We all know that Xhaka is a limited athlete and this is not a problem he can solve. So quite why the manager has opted to expose his flaws so badly by giving him the sole responsibility of protecting the defence… Read more »

vickingz

Wish emery could be rested instead of ozil. Both are such a waste

TR7

Dissenter

I think AMN should get a few opportunities at central midfield again to prove himself before a decision is taken on his future at Arsenal. If I were Emery I would give him a fair crack at CM position at least in Europa, FA and Carabao cup games. I am quite surprised we don’t have even one right back in our academy to play as a deputy to Bellerin.

Un na naai

Freddie L

You see??? It’s not just me. They guy is choosing to misuse or not use Torreira at all whilst hanging xakha and our defence out to dry

How can he not see that he is causing our troubles?
It’s one thing not signing a dmf but tinyave one and not use him is fucking insane.

Wednhave been better off keeping wenger and forcing him to let the suits handle the transfers.
And force a defensive coach into him

Or get another guy in
We should NEVER have gone for emery
Never

Un na naai

Dissenter

I’d say we get a better coach who can actually mould bellerin and AMN
Emery is out of his depth. He’s really getting exposed now and he’s really exposing his players too. He’s putting them in their worst possible scenarios and expecting results

Un na naai

Tim stillman does a wonderful weekly tactical column and he knows his stuff
Read it. He’s hammering emery and saying what my comrades having been saying since last year.

Emery is creating our troubles

Un na naai

In their passiveness, Arsenal invite pressure and that usually means inviting shots on their goal. His Gunners side rarely dominate through possession or draw the sting from a game by keeping the ball in the opposition’s most intimate quarters. Put simply, they don’t stress opponents enough which in turn, encourages opponents to apply stress to them. This has created an economies of scale effect. Everyone knows that if they go behind against Arsenal, they can commit numbers forward without fear of leaving space in behind them. It’s not just that the team’s shots against numbers are high, their own shots… Read more »

Un na naai

Michael Cox probably summed up this approach the best, “Entirely incapable of imposing their style upon the contest and regressed into a feeble, passive side: defensive without actually being able to defend.” This has led to poor game management and costly individual errors and the feeling that Arsenal’s five-star attackers are left to watch from an island while the midfield and defence retreat and invite bombardment.

Dissenter

TR7
Footballing history is filled with players switching positions.
Honestly at this point, most of the senior playing minutes of AMN are in the LB position. It’s a bit disingenuous to keep referring to him as a central midfielder. It’s like calling Peter Schmeichel a striker because he scored a bicycle kick goal.
AMN has referred to the wings as his ‘natural position’, that is why he should be judged on. He’s not going to make it in the central midfield imo.
https://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150519/maitland-niles-why-i-love-the-wing

Ray in LA

it’s a quote from Pochettino on Sp*rs 2-2 ‘loss’ at Olymiacos…

“It’s not about tactics or quality players but the level of fight. You need to match the opponent in aggressivity, excitement, motivation. That is the first demand – you need to work. It’s not only the responsibility of one person; it’s everyone’s responsibility.”

so true for his team last night and increasingly true for us

I would add the second demand for us is for better tactics 🙂

Cesc Appeal

I also think AMN’s weaknesses are he’s bullied physically often, his concentration levels are appallingly bad, his decision making is equally bad and his passing is often pretty poor…that isn’t someone you want at CM. He is what he is, a player you probably keep in the squad because he can play RB, LB and in the midfield when you really need him to because of injuries/easy game rotation. I can’t wait for a team sheet without his name on it. His performance at the weekend was embarrassing, Delofeou didn’t even need to try. I know he’s said ‘my defending… Read more »

Un na naai

CA

I just hope he doesn’t pick Aubameyang to start. We lose him and it’s goodnight Vienna

Left testicle

Yes, Martinelli looks up for it.

Dissenter

CA
When I read the AMN comment, I thought most managers won’t forget that public dissing.
The managers goes all out to shield them from blame when it was clear that shoddy individual performances like AMN’s are a big part of why we suck. What does the player benefitting from Emery-chaos do? … he glibly throws criticism at his manager.
I too cannot wait to have the likes of AMN cleared out of the club. Any dribbling speedy winger will tear him to pieces.

Un na naai

Dissenter No. It’s not clear AMN has had Mkhitaryan infront of him playing out of position No he has nobody in front of him We are playing xakha at the base of a diamond which is literally the worst place for him We have Torreira on the bench or playing further up when he should be there Ceballos is being used to mark the oppositions deep lying mid or having his role changed constantly The strikers are left up top alone and barely getting the ball This then is leaving massive gaps and putting pressure on the defence while we… Read more »

Bojangles

Speaking of and. A couple of months back I noticed what seemed to be a lump around the stomach. When I later went to the doctor I mentioned this lump to her. She had me bend over the table so she could examine my stomach. A moment later she informed me it was my an. Please note that was ab singular.

Cesc Appeal

Un I think he will start. This actually isn’t that easy a game for the Europa League group stage and we need to find some rhythm, likely a strong starting team and then early substitutions if possible. I just don’t want to see Xhaka start. Certainly I would have Torreira at CDM but maybe even Chambers/Luiz at CDM with Holding and then Chambers/Luiz at CB and see how that works out. A big part of our shots faced problem is the complete lack of coverage from the midfield. I mean, it doesn’t help that by the time the opponent as… Read more »

HighburyLegend

There’s one important fact about tonight : Frankfurt players are butchers.

But I’m sure Emery is aware of that fact… (lol)
Let’s burn some candles and pray.

HighburyLegend

(not for a result, but to avoid injuries)

Leftsidesanch

Un my good friend who is a professional boxer is based there. What’s your cousins name? I”ll probably know him.

Bamford10

Dissenter While AMN’s comments are implicitly a little critical of the manager, I think that aspect of his comments is being overblown. He clearly states that they ALL discussed the matter and that they ALL had some responsibility for the insistence on playing out of the back. While the instruction to play out of the back — or not — comes first and foremost from the manager, I don’t read AMN’s comments as “throwing the manager under the bus”. He’s saying that he’s frustrated they continued to play that way, that they all shared a little of the responsibility for… Read more »

Goobergooner

CC this is very well said. From a few days ago, I’m a lagger just catching up.

“If we were winning games under Emery the fuss would be so fucking minimal too, winning is a culture so foreign to Arsenal in recent years I think the purists (of which I’m def one) ought to really wind their neck in a bit until some calibration is done.”

Marko

AMN is the last player that should come out and criticize any manager publicly. It’s the most ridiculous thing you’ll read football wise all season. A player consistently shown to be totally and utterly out of his depth at this level publicly criticizing the manager stupid enough to play him. As for the played out of position nonsense I’m sick to my teeth of it especially given his clear limitations and his performances to date. I’m shocked though not completely shocked by certain people wanting to give him a go in CM. This is a player who under 3 managers… Read more »

Marko

Fact is as well the club is aware of this issue but really botched trying to fix it the last two summers. Whether it was Sven bringing in Lichtsteiner or this past summer being continuously linked with Meunier it’s clear they don’t rate AMN and are just having to make do which is appalling management honestly.

The hope is that if it’s Vieira he looks to bring in Atal or if it’s Nagelsmann he thinks about bringing Klostermann with him. Can’t wait.

Ishola70

Yeah AMN’s comments are being blown out of proportion. The more telling stuff that has come out of the club in the last week were the Auba and Sokratis jibes at Xhaka in relation to taking responsibility for your own individual performance. What happened here was that Emery excused Xhaka his error against Spurs and started to deflect to take the heat away from Xhaka by starting to focus on other aspects of the game against Spurs. Once Xhaka got the green light from Emery in regards being excused he too then decided to deflect away from his mistake against… Read more »

TR7

Marko , I know a mere mention of AMN gets you all riled up but nobody has said he is a great CM prospect. All that has been said is he should be given a chance as CM in Europa league, FA cup games before we decide on his future. Why get angry assuming something has been said when it has not been said at all ?

Un na naai

Leftside

Who’s your good friend? Bradley? Joe?

My cousins name is Kirk. His brother is Rob

Marko

All that has been said is he should be given a chance as CM

Why though? Answer me this though given your general football wisdom and your impeccable predictions on all things football. Why should someone who puts in such abject performances at RB then be given opportunities in CM? Where’s the logic. Why should someone who 3/4 managers now think can’t play CM all of a sudden play CM. Why do you think he’s worth a shot in that position despite other managers not fancying him there?

Guns of Hackney

Leno
Bell
Tierney
Holding
Torrier as libero or Xhaka or Luiz.
Kola

That would be my defensive line up. Lots of forward movement and protection when needed.

You’re welcome. Time for the sweeper to be brought back.

Ishola70

Xhaka’s comments after the Watford match were actually less damaging than his comments regarding the Spurs match.

If the comment after the Watford match were seen as damaging at least Xhaka stated this in terms of the collective “we”. We were scared. His Spurs comment was divisive in comparison.

In the last week we have had Emery throwing under the bus a younger player and Xhaka throwing under the bus the offense.

Not good.

Un na naai

Louis?

Marko

He may have played CM for the under 21’s but he’s only played 4 times and never completed 90 mins. Also according to transfermarket he has played 6 senior games (5 for Arsenal and 1 for Ipswich) over the course of his career amounting to about 280 mins. Compared to the 22 appearences at RB and the 44 appearences at RM. Doesn’t sound like a CM

Marko

*should read 6 senior games at CM

Un na naai

CA

I’d nit start Aubameyang tonight. Forget the rhythm
We aren’t in a position to lose him or over play him.
I’d got with Pepe and martinelli up top if he’s doing a front two again

TR7

Marko Firstly I don’t think AMN should play RB. Does not look like he enjoys playing there despite it being his ‘natural’ position. Why should he get a crack at CM position ? In my view he has got the build,stamina and athleticism to press high up the pitch and build up the tempo of our game. On odd occasions he has shown he can pass the ball forward and carry it too. Our current midfield options are all a bit one paced -None of Xhaka, Guen and Willock can accelerate or play at a higher tempo than their usual… Read more »

Ishola70

TR7

Guendouzi may have been disappointing against Watford but to state he isn’t capable of high tempo is just wrong.

Against Newcastle and Spurs his game was high tempo enough.

Cesc Appeal

Un I don’t want 2 up top. We’ve been desperate for a winger, finally got a great one and we’re playing him as an ST. No thanks. The reason we’re doing it as well is to add a body to midfield because we’ve got no control or balance there. I’m sick of us having to line up in a way that covers for our glaring weaknesses as opposed to trying to extract our best attributes. Xhaka can’t cover ground and none of our CM options are really balanced so we have to play an extra one and so we lose… Read more »

Marko

despite it being his ‘natural’ position. Who said it was his natural position? In my view he has got the build,stamina and athleticism to press high up the pitch and build up the tempo of our game. Press? Sounds like a defensive term sounds like something you might get a fullback doing so I wouldn’t assume that he can or would do that all of a sudden in CM. As for the tempo comment I can only disagree completely with that his technical ability and nonchalant attitude quite a bit of the time has him slowing down the play and… Read more »

Marko

Also I’d question AMN stamina. His inability to get back into position (he usually trots not runs) and his failure to close down attackers (looked very leggy against Deulofeu almost never attempted to stop a cross or shot) brings into question his stamina. He is big though and athletic. Not got good technical ability though which I’m lead to believe is a key component for a CM. Heavy touch sometimes a bad passer of the ball these are things that a CM needs to be good at. I basically think he’s a poor man’s Oxlade Chamberlain. I mean a really… Read more »

Leftsidesanch

Un, ohh thats your cousin,

My boy boxed on the undercard of Whyte v Rivas, Azeez.

TR7

Marko In the Arsenal.com website link shared by Dissenter, something was said to the effect of ‘wing’ being his natural position. How is AMN technical ability any worse than say Willock ? Willock is more disciplined and sincere than AMN but he is not technically superior to him. As for press, AMN can press if he doesn’t have to bother all the time about leaving space behind him. Again who really knows whether he will succeed at CM but his attributes are slightly different from the ones currently playing in our midfield and for that reason he should get a… Read more »

Un na naai

Left

Yeah. Thats him. They are well known on the circuits and that
He was captain of GB squad
Tri nation’s champ and theABA’s

Who is your mate from earlsfield?

Un na naai

CA

No I don’t either but he seems to like this shitty set up and I’d not want to risk Aubameyang in any set up
We are going to qualify from this group whatever happens tonight so I’d keep them fresh as possible
We need to be aiming for premier league wins
The rest is secondary

Ishola70

I don’t think there is a need for AMN in midfield if Ceballos is going to be picked.

There are very big question marks regarding AMN and his off the ball play and concentration and putting him central midfield isn’t going to solve the problems of Arsenal not being good enough off the ball in central midfield.

Leftsidesanch

Earlsfield? You mean peacocks Un?

Marko

How is AMN technical ability any worse than say Willock ? Willock is more disciplined and sincere than AMN but he is not technically superior to him He absolutely is. His passing is already on par or better and he’s got better control despite being younger and playing less. As for press, AMN can press if he doesn’t have to bother all the time about leaving space behind him I must say this genuinely made me smile and I thank you for it. Honestly he neither presses nor bothers about the space left behind him. Again I don’t think he’s… Read more »

Graham62

Valentin Mourinho has spoken openly on the difficulties of managing Ozil at RM. “You can’t be too tough with him and you can’t be too lenient” . Yes, he got the best out of him because, at the time, Ozil believed he was at the greatest club in the world, with a winning mentality around him. The same can be said with his environment in the German national team. The thing is, as we all know, Ozil had set his heart at staying with RM. Deep down he never wanted to leave. He wanted to stay in Spain. Coming to… Read more »

Un na naai

Left

Na you said one of your good mates is a pro and boxes from earlsfield didn’t you? Or did I read that wrong?

Ishola70

AMN did show talent at some point.

People liked the aspect of his play when he first came on the scene in that he looked like a player that could shift gears. Some of his play, good play looked effortless.

But this aspect of him is now seen as a negative.

Un na naai

Leftside

Your boy? You mean your mate or your son?

Cesc Appeal

Un Yeah that’s a fair point. I just want to see us looking tighter tonight, way too many gaps all over the pitch and too much grass between players when passing. This is especially a problem when you consider how error prone our players are. Especially when Bellerin and Tierney are back and sharp we should look to be quite tight in the middle and in attack and look to them to provide width in a similar way to Ajax. Of course Pepe etc will push out wide when needed, but I want to see Arsenal tight and secure, forcing… Read more »

Leftsidesanch

Yeah you did Un, he boxes out of Peacocks gym. Names Azeez. He’s my friend.

HighburyLegend

“Yeah you did Un”

You/he didn’t ??

Nelson

The biggest problem of the team is transition from attack to defense. I watched the Pool’s transition play. They have one attacker or maximum one midfielder pressuring the ball carrier. The rest of the players move quickly back into a defensive shape. You can see a 4 5 1 formation being formed quickly. For us, we have three players trying to surround the ball carrier. Some other players are watching the play. All the opponent did is a long pass to the other side of the field. Suddenly, our defense is all open up. Then you’ll see our players doing… Read more »

china1

Never underestimate the ability for football fans to be knee jerk

Guen was getting plaudits as one of our top 3 players so far this season up until the Watford game.

He plays poorly there and he’s a wastrel

Go figure how that works

Ivan

Nelson

Maybe playing 2-3 games in a row in primary formation would help.?

Also training build up and ball recovery in primary system on training ground would help too….

Un na naai

Leftside

How’s he doing? What’s his record?

CA
Yeah. Can’t disagree. Needs to be tighter
Need to play Torreira as our sitting mid and get the combinations right in front of him.
Unwed ourselves to the playing out and start restricting the space and if we are going to be counter attacking then to spring the traps properly rather than hit and hope

Graham62

What’s going to happen tonight?

Any predictions anyone?

Leftsidesanch

9-0 with 6 KOs, signed to MTK Global and was on Sky Box Office in July so far so good I’d say Un.

Un na naai

Graham
Fuck knows with emery. The most inconsistent guy I’ve witnessed.
Anything could happen.
New formations
New tactics
New line up regularly

Danny

17:55 kick off – WTF? Bad enough that we’re in this Mickey Mouse competition for a 3rd year in a row but now we’re starting at stupid times?
Fuck this shit.

Dissenter

China1
Regarding Guendouzi; the most consistent characteristic of young players is their inconsistency.
We have a couple of young players in our midfield, we will live by the same sword that may eventually impale us.

Un na naai

Left

Christ!! Good record
He’ll be knocking on the door for a title shot soon
Southern area then the GB.

Kirk’s lost 2 in 14 I think. Few ko’s
Not 100% on the numbers
My brothers will know more.
Was signed to Frank Warren and been on tv plenty but he quit Frank Warren cos he wasn’tgwttimg enough fights early on.
He’s up there. Was offered a shot for the light heavy by burton but he wasn’t ready.

He’s beat burton and agogo as amateurs though so they know what he’s about.

raptora

I came out with a good comparison re AMN. He’s a poor man’s Oxlade-Chamberlain. Slower, less focussed, worse shot, worse dribble, equal lack of defending and positional skills. Chambo is worth 35m and is a decent player no doubt, but AMN is nothing but a worse version of him.

So let’s not kid ourselves that we got a high quality player in there that Emery/Wenger or whoever has played out of position and stopped him from developing his talent or something. Guy has a total lack of focus. You cannot be a pro football player if you are spacing/zoning out.

Leftsidesanch

Un

Burtons a good fighter too so thats a good look for your cousin.

Sometimes promoters take on too many ‘clients’ and can’t do the goods for all of them so that’s unfortunate in that case.

Un na naai

Left

He’s better off away from him.
Needs to get his head straight though because he can beat burton.

Leftsidesanch

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