Arsenal: Defensive joke makes serious point

There is a Twitter account called ‘Out of Context Arsenal’, sharing horrific defensive moments from the Gunners. It is a joke, and a rather funny one. But it also alludes to a very serious point: Unai Emery is working against years of undermining culture.

Arsenal are often and rightly seen as a little bit of a joke. Remember when a Twitter thread showing all of the horrifying errors that Shkodran Mustafi has made over the years surfaced a few months ago? That is the kind of engagement that the public has with the club.

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The defensive deficiencies of the team, and plenty other mental, foolish errors that other, more professional clubs don’t seem to make, are the laughing stock of the footballing world. And, predictably, a rather inspired Twitter account called Out of Context Arsenal has collated all of these stupid moments and is slowly tweeting them out — seriously, go check it out. It is hilarious.

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The videos are equally brilliant and painful. And they are there purely for a laugh. But there is a serious point beneath it all that should be discussed. While these instances, like sliding tackles taking out opponents, goalkeepers punching the ball into their crossbar and passing the ball straight out of play for a corner, and Francis Coquelin apparently being shot, are comical, when they occur repeatedly over an extended period of time, there is a deeper-rooted question that must be asked.

From the outside, it just seems like these errors are anomalies, individual errors that cannot be accounted for, especially when they come from so many different players. But such is the regularity, the extent, the number, and the historic nature of the errors, there is clearly a greater issue that is motivating such mistakes.

Put very briefly and far too simply, the culture of the club must change. That encapsulates a whole lot of things. The accountability of the players, the competition within the squad, the leadership of the coaches and captain, the tactics on the pitch, the focus on defending in training, prioritising concentration and alertness during matches.

These are all cultural, philosophical elements that Arsene Wenger largely neglected, especially with lesser quality players in his latter years. They are also attitudes that Unai Emery is now trying to overhaul. And to do that quickly is impossible. Changing culture takes time, a whole lot of time. It is why plenty of the defensive vulnerabilities that were present under Wenger persisted in the first half of this season, and have since subsided a little.

The idiocies that have consistently undermined Arsenal’s progress will not be rid of easily. Emery must change the very fabric of the club, not simply reinstil different systems and shapes and expect his players to pick them up from day one.

As Emery tries to change this club, therefore, patience is absolutely essential. Many of the problems are deeply entrenched, including the comical errors of yesteryear.