At times in this fledgling season, Arsenal have been free-flowing, incisive, and near perfect in their execution of Unai Emery’s brand of attacking football. But that has seldom, if at all, been true of the first 45 minutes of matches - quite the opposite, in fact. The Gunners have often played some pretty lethargic, underwhelming … Continue reading Unai Emery’s Arsenal and the search for the 90-minute performance
Squad rotation has been one of the standout features of Unai Emery’s fledgling reign and one of the areas where his methods most diverge from his predecessor. Given its relative success so far, it will be interesting to see if the Spaniard continues in the same vein or whether he looks to establish a more … Continue reading Unai Emery is sewing the seeds of change at Arsenal as he seeks to drag club into the future
Are we ever going to get better at the back?
The most curious thing about Aaron Ramsey’s much-discussed contract drama is the way in which the club appears to have torpedoed the deal, an unusual move in the Gunners’ recent history. Over a period of many years, we have seen marquee players such as Robin Van Persie, Samir Nasri, Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Cesc … Continue reading Aggressive or foolhardy? Will Arsenal regret withdrawing Aaron Ramsey offer?
When Arsenal put together a complete 90-minute performance, they will be capable of giving almost any side a run for its money. They are not fit to the vie for the league title just yet, of course, but they are playing some good football and picking up points where they have been dropped in seasons … Continue reading It’s a team of two halves as Arsenal continue search for consistency despite Newcastle win
The only thing that stands between Arsenal and victory at Newcastle today (Saturday) are the wiles of Rafa Benitez. A man managing far below his high level, Benitez has the nous and knowhow to exploit the weaknesses that remain within this fledgling Arsenal side. There have been improvements in Unai Emery’s Gunners, no doubt, but … Continue reading Defence will be the best form of defence for Arsenal in testing trip to Newcastle
Since the start of the Unai Emery era, Arsenal’s polished PR team has been keen on projecting an image of radical change around the squad, led from the front by the whistle-toting Spaniard himself. Once or twice week, in the pictures released from training sessions, we see Emery heavily involved in proceedings, directing his players, … Continue reading Arsenal continue to roll the dice as search for balance at the back goes on
Individual errors and a lack of focus defensively were big contributing reasons behind the downfall and eventual departure of Arsene Wenger. For all the attacking verve and incisive passing football he championed, the Frenchman struggled in his last five seasons or so to balance that with the need to master the more practical, defensive side … Continue reading Arsenal’s individuals must act as a whole to cut out the mistakes and turn promise into results
Will Arsenal have learned enough in the last week to propel them to points at Stamford Bridge this evening? Last Sunday’s season-opening defeat at the hands of Manchester City was a timely reminder of the amount of work there is for Unai Emery to do in order to shape this team in his image. But … Continue reading Trip across capital will give Arsenal the chance to show what they have learned
There is no escaping the fact that defeat to Manchester City on Sunday had a real anti-climatic feel about it. That’s more, perhaps, because I had allowed myself to get swept up in an excellent pre-season campaign and the general feeling of positivity around the new manager, more than the outcome. I had convinced myself … Continue reading Arsenal 0 Manchester City 2: An anti-climactic start but more to come from Emery’s Gunners
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