Post Wolves: I've been sitting at my keyboard for the best part of five minutes now, not really knowing where to start without finding myself repeating myself yet again. But in summary ... I think that Arsenal are in a negative spiral that is going to need drastic action to avert a very disappointing season. I have not had a 'good ebening'.
November 4, 2019 12:10From where I was sitting the team, and particularly the manager, got exactly what they deserved against Wolves. The only bright spot was the restoration of Ozil to the team (although if the whole thing with Xhaka hadn't blown up last week I'm not sure we would have seen that) and as we all know the guy simply oozes class. We saw some good defensive work from him too.
As for the negative, I simply could not fathom the formation all game. Was it 4-4-2, 4-1-2-1-2 with a diamond, or 4-3-3? All I could see were massive gaps in the midfield once more being afforded to the opposition for exploitation. Picking the personnel he did, why was Guendouzi (who had a particularly poor game and is not suited at this stage of his career to receive the ball facing his own goal) at the base of the diamond and not Torreira? What precisely was Ceballos's role? And what remit had been given to Ozil?
What we did see was the by now traditionally slow start. I can't understand why it seems to take the team ten minutes to work the opposition out (Palace game excepted) when what we know of Emery is that he does lots and lots of homework. But if that's truly the case I'm really not sure what questions he is asking himself, as Wolves were all over Arsenal for the first dozen minutes and were unlucky not to be at least a goal up; if not more.
During the course of the game we saw - once more - all that is wrong with Emery's Arsenal. They took the lead (and for the fourth time in three matches squandered it), probably against the general run of play, but Emery's innately conservative tactics and lack of clarity meant that the equaliser was inevitable.
And this time things were worse, for it was as a direct result of the bizarre decision to replace Torreira with Saka and Arsenal's failure to adjust to the new formation that they conceded just three minutes later. Two things immediately wrong with that decision:
1. Why change the formation to something more attacking when in front with 20 minutes left, and two. Why (yet again) replace Torreira when Guendouzi was having a shocker?
And then... and then... with less than 10 minutes to go, and with the players pushing hard for the win, the only thing Emery could come up with was to swap his left-backs? Mortifying.
The sad facts that sum the match up are that Arsenal had just 10 shots compared to 25 by Wolves, and that after the 32nd minute Arsenal did not have a single shot on target. This simply isn't acceptable, and rather than making progress performances are now going backwards.
As for what Emery said in his press conference - surely he was watching a different game to the one I saw. I disagree with all the following:
'We worked on different tactical situations well today.' No, you didn't!
'We didn't concede a lot of chances in transition.' Yes, you did!
'When we were winning 1-0 we knew in one moment they could score and they did.' This is a conservative/negative outlook and it's not good to show this to the players. They were at home to Wolves; not away to Manchester City!
...' tactically I think we worked how we wanted.' Really? Then you really do have a problem!
For all that the introduction of Ozil gave the team a shot in the arm, the rest was turgid, mundane and predictable. And it means that all the optimism that the summer transfer window engendered has now dissipated, with those raised hopes making things even more disappointing.
So that's two points out of the last nine, garnered from league games with Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers, when it would have been reasonable to expect at least seven. And not forgetting the fortunate Europa League win and demoralising cup defeat at Anfield sandwiched in between.
I'm not sure what those in charge are waiting for, as far from taking advantage of the current woes of Tottenham and Man United, Arsenal are outside the top four and allowing Leicester to pull away from them. And the next game? - Leicester away... massive; and I'd expect Leicester to win and thereby open up a gaping nine-point gap!
It is evident that the players are confused by what the manager is trying to get them to do, and the Xhaka incident and the fallout from it suggests that he is now starting to properly lose the dressing room as well. The optimism we all had, based on the clearing out of some of the more expendable players and the signings of Tierney and Pepe, plus all the hopes built around the likes of Willock, Nelson, Saka and Martinelli... they're all gone now.
Sure, it depends on one's expectations, but based on the summer we had I think that we could reasonably have expected progress towards a genuine challenge for a top-four spot. We've had these personnel issues centreing around Ozil and now Xhaka (the whole captaincy vote thing struck me as utterly bizarre), but aside from those I think that most fans are struggling to see any clearly defined style of play. We are just not sure what Emery is trying to do, and I don't think that the players know either.
We knew that there would be problems coming out of the 22-year long 'legacy' management dynasty of Arsene Wenger - look at Manchester United to see what may await Arsenal FC - but it is clear that while he may have looked like the answer 15 months ago, Emery is most definitely not the answer. The honeymoon finished a year ago, the relationship looked on the rocks after the disastrous finish to last season, and for all the excellent 'marriage guidance' in the summer old habits have since been reverted to.
What's to be gained by waiting for the inevitable loss at Leicester (which will be followed by another 'interlull')? Emery out. Now. Before it's too late. Because failure to qualify for next year's Champions League will see Aubameyang and Lacazette on their way, and Arsenal will find themselves facing Tottenham-like levels of time spent in the football wilderness.
But, please, no, not Jose Mourinho. No. No. No. No. No! I don't have to spell out why.
Until next week.
#emeryout