Arsenal: Unai Emery’s biggest impact is immeasurable, literally

Unai Emery is beginning to change things at Arsenal. The style on the pitch, the personnel of the players, the atmosphere around the stadium. But his biggest impact is an immeasurable one.His biggest impact is a renewed and resilient will to win.

When Arsenal decided to push Arsene Wenger out of the club at the end of last season, they instigated a process of change. As soon as the resignation was accepted, this club evolved forevermore. And it is still evolving to this day.

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The man leading this era of new in the now is Unai Emery. He has gone about his work slowly, softly, subtly. But he is making an impact. This is a very different team and organisation to what it was just six short months ago.

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Speaking onThe Debate, on Sky Sports, Martin Keown, who experienced a managerial change at the club, from George Graham through Bruce Rioch and all the way to Wenger, stated that Emery’s biggest impact has come in Arsenal’s performances, and results, in their away games, culminating in the 5-1 victory over Fulham last weekend:

"“What’s clear to see is that they have won three times away from home — having only done so four times on the road in the Premier League throughout the whole of last season. As much as I enjoyed the confidence and expression of Aaron Ramsey’s Harlem Globetrotter goal, what impressed me more was the grit, tenacity and determination in Arsenal’s performance. After letting Fulham back into the game, they showed real character to win emphatically in the second half.”"

Keown doesn’t explicitly say it, but what he is essentially referring to is a will to win, an ability to grind out results, a desire, resilience and mentality that wasn’t previously present within the players and the club. This team is yet to really play well. The Fulham performance was the best of the season by some distance, but there were major problems in those preceding it.

Nevertheless, despite disappointing displays, Arsenal have reeled off nine successive wins in all competitions, including six in the Premier League. They have also already won three league games on the road, including at Cardiff, at Newcastle, and at Fulham, none of which are the easiest atmospheres to encounter, and were victorious against a raucous crowd in Azerbaijan.

The biggest impact that Emery has had on this club thus far is immeasurable. Not by its greatest, but by its characteristic. It is not possible to measure a team’s mentality, its resolve, its will to win. It is, by nature, intangible. But it is important — in fact, surveying the past Premier League winners, you could make an argument that it is critical to the make-up of any successful side.

Emery is changing this team for the better. He is changing this club for the better. And it starts with the mentality of the players, of the coaches, of himself, and, now, of the fans.