Arsenal: This club is special, but these expectations are ridiculous

Arsenal fans are right to demand the world from their club, as it is an historic club, to say the least, but these expectations are a bit wild.

Arsenal are in a transitional period. They have a lot of work to do to get back in title-contending form, and that isn’t going to happen while Unai Emery and the club have no funds at their disposal.

I know people hate Kroenke for not infusing the club with endless cash, but like it or not, it’s a sustainable method that promotes qualities that you don’t find in clubs like Manchester City or Chelsea, who survive on the funds pumped into them alone. Arsenal survive because they are a special club with upstanding principles.

That said, while this is certainly a special club with unique principles, there is also the matter of being realistic. I know we don’t want to see our club lose, or look lost, or be flustered, or broke, or whatever else you want to call it, but for the love of everything, think of what is happening here.

The legendary Arsene Wenger’s era ended with a firm financial fiasco in place and here comes Unai Emery, with a new brain trust behind the club and a hell of a lot of weeds to uproot. You don’t do that over night. You don’t even do that in a year. It takes time.

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It takes time to get a new financial schematic in place, it takes time to figure out which players you want to keep, how they work best, who can improve, who is flatlining; there are all these variables that are going to take time for Unai Emery to sort out. If you don’t like one match and the tactics he used, then remember back earlier in the year because at numerous points, he has had fantastic tactics.

This is all part of the process. Think of Manchester United post-Sir Alex Ferguson. They are still struggling to get back into top form. Jose Mourinho made things worse and now they are riding on a momentum wave that most post-Mourinho clubs face.

It’s really the only comparable. Chelsea won early with Antonio Conte because they had limitless funds. Unai Emery could probably win the league this year too if the club had handed him £500m to change the club with, but then we’re no better than Chelsea or City, propped up by money.

This is a unique club with unique principles. Give Emery time and try to chill out.