Can Unai Emery Reinvigorate Arsenal?

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Legal Expert for Untold Arsenal

Can Unai Emery Reinvigorate Arsenal?

There is no denying that Arsenal have had a pretty dismal season with the Community Shield the only silverware they have managed to claim. It’s been a long time since the glory days under Arsene Wenger. Although European triumph has eluded him, under his guidance they have won three league titles. won the FA Cup seven times and twice achieved the league and cup double. And let’s not forget that historic run of forty-nine league games without defeat in 2003/04.

But that was the last time they finished top of the league. Maybe Wenger should have taken his leave a couple of seasons ago after twenty good years instead of leaving now when the club is at such a low ebb.

Although they’ve had poor seasons before, Arsenal have for many years been considered a top four club. However, the 2016/17 season saw them finish in fifth place in the Premier League and dumped out of the last sixteen of the Champions League by a rampant Bayern Munich with a 10-1 aggregate score line, although they did retain the FA Cup for a third successive year.

There is no such solace this year and their sixth place finish this season is the worst since 1994/95 when they were in danger of relegation under George Graham. After Graham was sacked, caretaker manager Stewart Houston rallied the team and they finished in twelfth spot. Even in that season they came within a whisker of claiming a European trophy, eventually losing the final of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup by a one goal margin to Real Zaragoza after extra time.

The most worrying aspect of the team this season, particularly in the latter half, has been their abysmal away form. In 2018 they didn’t manage to take three points from an away league match until the last game of the season at Huddersfield.

Now attendances are down at the Emirates Stadium as supporters are becoming disillusioned with the team’s lacklustre performances. The most common complaint is that there is no passion among the players. Their hopes of a trophy this season were dashed with a League Cup final defeat by champions Manchester City and an exit from the Europa League at the semi-final stage at the hands of Atletico Madrid.

The New Era at Arsenal

But, now the Wenger era is over and new boss Unai Emery is preparing to take over. But will he be able to breathe new life into the club and reignite the players’ spirit? At this early stage opinions are mixed. There had been some excitement when it looked certain that Mikel Arteta would be appointed to replace Wenger, despite his lack of managerial experience. Emery is a completely different prospect.

He delivered three Europa League titles at Seville and replicating that at Arsenal would delight the fans. But at Paris Saint-Germain, although he led them to the French domestic treble, he was not able to deliver the Holy Grail of the Champions League for them which led to his departure at the end of the season.

Emery is said to be extremely analytical, making the players spend hours watching videos and discussing strategy and systems. There is no doubt about his passion for the game and his training methods might bring to light where the Arsenal players have been going wrong. However, some might not take to his methods and he has been known to lose control of the dressing room at previous clubs. He needs to be authoritative with the big name players at Arsenal.

There are likely to be some changes at the club and it is being said that Emery will have £50 million to spend in the transfer market this summer, plus the revenue brought in from selling players.

Emery’s tenure at Arsenal is not likely to have the longevity of Wenger’s, but if he can turn the club around and bring passion back into the team he will be well received by the fans.

Youth Academy

Arsene Wenger was a great supporter of bringing on young players through the club’s Academy and there is an impressive list of Gunners legends who started out in the youth scheme. Jack Wilshere is a product of the Academy and became Arsenal’s youngest ever league player when he made his debut in 2008.

Hopefully the new manager will be a similar proponent of encouraging the home-grown talent as well as bringing in players from outside the club.

Injury Time

It’s been said that recently Wenger has used a fairly light touch on the training ground. This could be a contributory factor in the number of avoidable injuries sustained by Arsenal players this season.

There have been serious injuries such as Santi Cazorla’s Achilles damage which has kept him out of the game for eighteen months and has required surgery and skin grafts. Cazorla has recently announced his departure from Arsenal as his contract expired with no sign of his immediate return to the pitch.

But it is the niggling sprains and strains that seem to be sidelining players which imply a lack of match preparation or insufficient rehabilitation of injuries. Frequent groin strains, ankle injuries and pulled hamstrings have been keeping players out for a month and more at a time.

With the size and depth of the squad, there seems to be a philosophy of not worrying if a player is not available because he can be replaced. But it would be better to properly rotate the team, rest key players and allow enough time for injuries to fully recover. Maybe that is something else that Emery can turn around.

Sports Injury Claims

Many football injuries are unavoidable and are part and parcel of a physical contact sport. However, if you get injured in a way that is negligent or even reckless you might be able to claim compensation. Contact a legal expert who specialises in personal injury and they can advise you on how to make a personal injury compensation claim.