Arsenal: Forget the Arsene Wenger way, it’s Unai Emery time

Arsenal had a set style under Arsene Wenger, and it’s clear that Unai Emery is trying to improve on it. But he needs to trust himself, not the old ways.

Arsenal have always had a very distinct style of play. Under Arsene Wenger, it really came into fruition. The beautiful, flowing football that oftentimes put people to sleep but for moments of magic and pure brilliance.

It required technically adept players who could string together slick passes and not lose possession. There wasn’t a lot of rough-and-ready guys, and there were even less enforcer types.

There is still some carry-over from that style, seeping its way into Unai Emery‘s set-up. That doesn’t mean that there is no place for it, but Unai Emery needs to trust himself, trust in his vision, and stick to that, not to what Wenger put in place for him.

Take, for instance, the 4-3-3. Why is he sticking to this formation when it doesn’t allow him to use his best players in their best positions? There is no excuse to leave Alexandre Lacazette on the bench.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Now, before I get too far, I’m not trying to sound like Tony Adams. I believe in Emery and I’m not mad at him, like wound-up Adams was. But I do wish that Emery would have come right out the gates with his guys, and his methods.

Petr Cech, too, was not the right guy. Granit Xhaka, as much as I love him, was not the right guy. Mesut Ozil, more of the same. These are Wenger guys for a Wenger style. That does’t mean they can’t learn. I would hope they can. But until they do, we need Emery guys doing Emery’s thing.

It begs to be mentioned that it is admirable that he didn’t just throw the whole module out. That would be a bit drastic. Inching in slowly but surely is certainly one way to do it. And that’s not to say your just throw these guys out, but when you have high-energy guys like Torreira, Guendouzi and the like, and you want to play a high-energy style, because that’s what has always worked for you, then you damn well do it.

We will see what happens against Chelsea. Hopefully there will be more changes instituted to get us closer to what Emery wants us to be, and further from what we once were.