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When Unai Emery was named as the Arsenal manager as a replacement for the outgoing Arsene Wenger, the general vibe around the Emirates was one of cautious optimism. The majority of the Arsenal fans were aware of the mess their club had been in during the twilight years of Wenger's reign. Fringe players on high wages, contracts running out, and a lack of tactical discipline among the players were just some of the problems Emery had to deal with.
When the season began, his clear objective was to bring Champions League football back to the club, do well in cup competitions, and above all, enforce his methods and philosophy on his players, to give them a new ideology.
Although the first few months of his reign were very bright, with the Gunners going on a 22-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, the grueling heat of the relentless Premier League caught up with them. They are now 5th in the table, above Chelsea on goals scored, and a point behind Manchester United in the 4th spot.
As time has passed by, the Gunners have become more and more unpredictable or, as many would also believe, inconsistent. Without further ado, let's look at the reasons for Arsenal's mixed season:
#5 Injuries
Arsenal have been very unlucky when it comes to injuries, especially season-ending ones. Danny Welbeck, Rob Holding, and Hector Bellerin have all been sidelined for the rest of the season. They were the players who had improved a lot under Emery this season and had become central to his plans.
Welbeck had gathered 5 goals and 1 assist in 13 appearances this season, out of which 7 were starts, before being sidelined for the rest of the season by an ankle injury. He had improved so much under Emery, the fans called out for him to start EPL games. He was the ideal back-up to Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a striker, and also someone who could play on the right wing. Emery has had trouble in rotating his squad ever since, with his low trust in the young Eddie Nketiah not helping his cause.
Similarly, Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin had become key cogs in Emery's plans. Holding was the only ball-playing center-back they had, and the 23-year-old had improved tremendously under Emery, so much so that he displaced Shkodran Mustafi from the starting lineup.
Bellerin had improved both offensively and defensively under Emery, and the fans were finally seeing glimpses of the player he was once touted to be. With Stephan Lichsteiner looking out-of-sorts since joining Arsenal in the summer, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles being deployed further up the pitch, Bellerin was the player who was trusted to play both as a right back and right wing-back. Due to his unfortunate Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear, the Gunners have looked very weak on the right side of the defense.
Other players such as Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Nach Monreal have also suffered injuries during the course of the season.
#4 Changing Formations
Before his appointment, Emery was known to play a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, with the latter being the formation that was most common during Wenger's reign. During the first few months of his reign, Emery stuck with his favorite formation, a 4-2-3-1, with Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torriera or Mateo Guendouzi playing as the deep-lying midfielders, and Mesut Ozil or Aaron Ramsey playing the typical No.10. But seeing how weak his defense was, with only 2 clean sheets in the Premier League till the end of 2018, Emery realized the need to change his formation.
He changed his formation to a defensively more stable 3-4-1-2 (or a 3-4-2-1), with 3 center-halves and 2 deep-lying midfielders. The 2 wing-backs, Sead Kolasinac and Hector Bellerin (or Maitland-Niles), were given a lot of freedom, and a major chunk of offense was done by them. This system worked well for Emery, leading them to a comprehensive 4-2 victory again Tottenham in the North London Derby back in December. However, the injury to Holding changed everything.
Because of the limited number of center-backs, Emery had to play players like Granit Xhaka out of position to make his formation work. Since then, the Gunners have been juggling between the two formations, and that has caused various problems in the defense. Arsenal have had only 1 clean sheet in 13 away games this season in the Premier League.
It's one thing to be adaptable and have an adjustable formation according to the opposition, but changing your formation so regularly can create a lot of confusion in the team, especially one with a make-shift defense.
#3 Lack of activity in the January Transfer Window
When the January transfer window was about to open, the fans believed that Arsenal would go in the market and get a defender to solve their injury crisis. But throughout the window, the Gunners were only linked with offensive players, with the likes of Denis Suarez, Ivan Perisic and Yannick Carrasco being touted to move to North London.
But Emery revealed in a press conference that Arsenal can only loan players, not sign them permanently. This was perceived as worrying news by their fans, as the club was recently named as the 6th richest club in the world by Forbes. The fans raised their voice against the club's owner, Stan Kroenke, and demanded more investment from him to help the new manager. By the end of the window, the Gunners were able to secure the signature of Denis Suarez on loan from Barcelona for the remainder of the season, with an option to buy at a reported €20-€25 million Euros.
While the midfielder is undoubtedly a good acquisition, Arsenal failed to deal with the more serious matter of their injury-ravaged defense. They should have looked to add a center-back and a right-back to their ranks but failed to land either of the two.
They were also unable to sign any out-and-out wide attackers. This raised a lot of questions on Arsenal's bizarre transfer policy, and with the departure of Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat, nobody is sure what went on inside the club during January.
#2 The Aaron Ramsey contract situation
Aaron Ramsey, who recently confirmed that he was moving to Juventus next summer when his contract with Arsenal runs out, was tipped to become the new Arsenal captain and sign a new long-term deal with the club when Emery's appointment was confirmed. He was Emery's type of player- very versatile, technically sound, high offensive and defensive work rate, tracking back and always trying to create something.
He originally started playing as the No.10, just behind Lacazette or Aubameyang, or both. As the games passed by, Emery grew less and less convinced that Ramsey would fit into his plans. It was widely reported that Arsenal backed out of talks about a new contract, even though Ramsey was willing to stay at the Emirates.
As a result, Arsenal had a player leaving for free at the end of the season, and while it didn't affect Ramsey's performances, because of his professionalism, it would have affected the morale in the dressing room. It also affects a manager, when you know that one of your key players won't continue next season, you would want other players to play in his place, and adapt to your philosophy.
#1 Inconsistent players
Arsenal's performances have been very inconsistent throughout this season. On one day, they will dominate Tottenham or Chelsea, and on the other, lose to teams like Southampton or Crystal Palace, who are in the bottom half of the table. The major chunk of that inconsistency is down to the players, who turn up brilliantly for one game and become invisible in another.
Players like Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi, Granit Xhaka, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Shkodran Mustafi have been inconsistent this season, much to the frustration of Arsenal fans. Mesut Ozil, who was touted to be Arsenal's talisman after signing a new contract worth £350,000 per week last year, has fallen out of favor with Unai Emery. His low work rate and lack of tactical discipline have seen him drop down the pecking order. He hasn't started an away Premier League game in 2019, and rarely makes an impact when he comes on.
Alex Iwobi is another one of Arsenal's inconsistent performers. Although the Nigerian has improved drastically under Emery, scoring 3 goals and getting 4 assists in the Premier League this season, there is still some way to go before he reaches his full potential. He can be mesmerizing on his day, ghosting past defenders with pace and power, but can also become completely invisible in the next game. Arsenal have been very patient with Iwobi's development, but its high time produces more end product.
Granit Xhaka and Shkodran Mustafi are also a part of the bandwagon. They have been at the club for more than 2 years now, and if either one of them wants to become Arsenal captain one day, they have to step up.
Although Unai Emery has done a good job till now, he will need time to make Arsenal title contenders again. He has to find the solution to many of Arsenal's deep-rooted problems, and not lose the faith of the fan-base. While that's a tough job, Emery might just be the man to do it.
What problems do you think Unai Emery is facing at Arsenal? Leave your comments in the comments section below.
