Arsenal: And now the Unai Emery whispers leak

Unai Emery is not enjoying his second year as Arsenal head coach. And amid the strife and tribulation of poor performances and lacklustre results, the whispers of unhappiness and unsettlement begin to leak.

It was never going to be easy. Succeeding the founding father of the modern era of the club is no mean feat, and while Unai Emery arrived at Arsenal with terrific experience and pedigree across Europe, to expect him to waltz into Arsene Wenger’s shadow and out the other side is a little naive, to say the least.

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Now in his second season removed from Wenger’s forced resignation, Emery, it was believed, would have the opportunity to lay down the new law, to implement his style, his strategy, his identity. This was especially true after a summer in which wholesale changes were imparted. Wengerian mainstays departed; a new breed of players was introduced, with a young, more athletic, modern style expected. However, five games into the new campaign, and it is difficult to see where and how Emery is having an effect on his team.

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This all came to a head in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Watford, in which they conceded more shots (31) than they ever have done in a Premier League match. In a word, Arsenal looked lost. Entirely and utterly lost. Devoid of shape and clear instruction, the players seemed confused, lacking confidence and clarity, the team was routinely pressed into submission by an opponent who still sits bottom of the table, and there was not even a semblance of control bar a 10-minute, Watford-lull-induced period midway through the first half.

And amid this chaos and calamity, whispers have begun to seap out of the Arsenal camp suggesting that the players are not quite happy with Emery and his coaching style. The first mention of it came last week, from Alan Smith in the London Evening Standard:

"“Maybe it is down to a lack of understanding. I have heard whispers, after all, that some of the players find their manager’s instructions confusing, that they do not really know what he wants them to do.”"

And this week, James McNicholas of The Athletic made similar claims regarding a particular aspect of Arsenal’s play, their apparent desire to press high up the pitch:

"“At his opening press conference, Emery spoke of his ambition to transform Arsenal into a ‘pressing’ team. A training ground source has told The Athletic that, bar a few drills at the outset of last season, pressing has never been a major part of his tactical plans.”"

In the same piece, McNicholas reports that Aaron Ramsey was left confused regarding his role in the team during a crucial period of contract negotiations after discussions with Emery, while some of the players have grown tired of Emery’s exhaustive use of video analysis, which has been criticised by former players.

How much of this hush-hush reporting is true or not remains to be seen. But judging by the performances of the pitch, I certainly have some sympathy with the viewpoint that Emery is failing to establish an identity within the team. That may be because he does not have one to begin with, or it might be that he is failing to accurately and clearly explain it, his communication letting him down in key areas. Either way, the results are the same: Arsenal look lost.

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Time, as always, is imperative in these situations. And Emery deserves time to lay down his foundations, whatever they may be. But the early signs are not positive, and these whispers only add to the shroud of doubt that is hanging over the Arsenal head coach. And opportunities are running out to dispel these growing concerns.

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