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

6. He’s open-minded

This probably should be higher up on the list, but I couldn’t resist that perfect transition. This may well be my favorite thing about Unai Emery, and one of the things that most contrasts with one of Arsene Wenger’s biggest frustrations.

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Unai Emery is like a mad scientist. He spent all year experimenting and trying new things and showcased his open-mindedness towards absolutely anything that may move the club forward.

Remember how he doesn’t like the back three? Well, he still used it in 13 Premier League matches and a further eight times in the Europa League. He used eight total formations in the Premier League and five in the Europa. He was constantly moving players in and out of the starting XI and even the substitute bench as he tried to figure out what was and wasn’t working.

For as much as I love Arsene Wenger, he had a knack for picking a method and riding it through until it utterly collapsed. Unai Emery changes things each and every match. Even if he won 5-1, he wouldn’t always carry over that exact plan to the next match.

He approached each clash in isolation, treating each opponent as a new challenge. And while it didn’t always work, he will continue to learn and improve and that’s the most important thing of all.

On to No. 5.