Arsenal: 10 things we learned about Unai Emery in his first year

8. He doesn’t like the back three

This may be a bit surprising, seeing as how he used the back three more than any other formation, but in the end, it became perfectly clear that he prefers to play the way he had been playing at his previous outfits – the 4-3-3.

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And to his credit, when it worked, it really worked. That midfield three of Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira showed tremendous ability, but without capable wingers, the formation didn’t work for the attack.

The problem was that no other formation worked for the resources that he had. Neither Ainsley Maitland-Niles nor Sead Kolasinac could play a class fullback role, and with Unai Emery’s two best players being Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, he needed to not only fit them into the same formation, but do so while also providing them with ample service.

The wingbacks were the best he could do in that regard.

Don’t be surprised if the back three disappears next year, and the 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 resurfaces for the long haul.

No. 7 is next.