Arsenal and attitude: The Unai Emery effect

Unai Emery is changing the attitude of the Arsenal players. And it is having an impact on their performances and results. The Unai Emery effect is real.

Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal were frequently criticised for lacking mental resilience, a natural ability to grind out results, a resolve, persistence and winning attitude that all of the great teams have. It was one of the key reasons why the club slipped out of the top four, have failed to win a league title since 2004, and why Wenger himself ultimately departed.

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But since Unai Emery’s arrival in the summer, if there has been one trait that this team has embodied, it has been a winning mentality. Throughout the 13-game unbeaten run that culminated in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday, it would be fair to say that Arsenal have not played well in any of the matches bar a couple.

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What they have done, however, is continue to grind out results. They have continued to win matches that they do not deserve to. And that is a sign of a tough, hard-nosed, brutish team. A team that can win when they do not play well. A team that can scrap and battle and fight for every single point. A team that can reel off extended periods of results, even if the performances do not match.

And there are several statistics from this season that indicate this steely mentality that Emery has instilled in his players. No team in the Premier League has scored more second-half goals this season than Arsenal, who have scored a staggering 19 of their 25 goals after the break — that statistic is even more pertinent when considering that the Gunners have not been leading at half-time in any match in the league this season, which is astonishing in and of itself. No team in the Premier League has earned more points from a losing position than Arsenal, with eight. And the substitutes have now been involved in ten goals, more than any other Premier League team.

These statistics do not in and of themselves prove that this is now a team that knows how to win, a team that has a grit and determination that was previously absent. But they do paint a picture of a set of players that repeatedly wins in the second half, that is not dejected if they concede first, that perseveres, that is persistent and resolute.

That is the Unai Emery effect. Yes, he has brought in new players and tactics. Yes, he has changed the goalkeeper, the central midfielder. Yes, he has challenged his star players, demanding that they perform and earn their stripes, rather than just being handed to them. But the biggest change from the Wenger era is the mentality of the team. This is a team that knows how to win.

How far that will take them remains to be seen. Eventually, over a large enough sample size, the performances and the results will conicide. Emery cannot continue relying on his players’ resilience to win matches in the second half. At some point, they will just have to start playing better.

But, for now, this mentality is serving them quite well. Change will have to come, for sure, but Emery is having an effect on this team. He is making an impact.