Pain in the Arsenal Podcast: Conclusions in the chaos

Despite Arsenal’s most recent win, Unai Emery’s tenure looks destined for an unbecoming end. In this episode, Andrew and Henry try to draw conclusions in the chaos.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s stunning free-kick sent the Emirates Stadium into a frenzy as 10-man Arsenal came from behind to beat Aston Villa in a pulsating 3-2 affair. The Gunners are back into the top four and the spirited comeback must be applauded, but this chaos cannot continue. It is unsustainable.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Conclusions in the Chaos

There was a reason for optimism following their 3-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek. They continued to look porous at the back but allied that with a far greater attacking threat. While Unai Emery would have hoped for a convincing performance against Aston Villa to quieten the calls for his sacking, that is not what he got.

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Early frustration at the Emirates soon turned into fury as Villa took a deserved lead. Things soon got worse as Ainsley Maitland-Niles was shown a second yellow card just before half-time. It was a disaster.

Everyone knows what happened next, but the underlying issues remain. Arsenal have some very good players in their squad, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have carried this team for far too long.

The summer dealings were thoroughly impressive, primarily because the club was able to recognise their weaknesses and made concerted efforts to address them. What is most frustrating about the current struggles is that the changes that need to be made are quite apparent. Yet, Emery refuses to adapt.

David Luiz and Sokratis have proven themselves to be error-prone, so why not give Calum Chambers a chance to prove himself? It is clear that Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock bring much more to the table than Granit Xhaka, so why does Emery continue to start the Swiss international? And then there are tactical problems, beyond just the usual selection of players, which are summarised nicely by the following tweet:

Arsenal are seemingly incapable of dominating inferior teams. That is incredibly concerning. They may have found an identity in the 4-2-3-1, but otherwise, I am still searching for tactical uniformity. Desperation seemed to overrule the team on Sunday. They were unwilling to impose ourselves upon the game until the final 30 minutes and only then acted out of emotion and raucous ferocity, not control and calculated processes.

Héctor Bellerín, Rob Holding, and Kieran Tierney will soon return to the first team and I would like to think that they will help improve the team’s overall performance. Nonetheless, I am sceptical. Structurally, the team is not right. Moreover, the toxicity which plagued the club during Arsène Wenger’s final years was apparent once more as boos rang around the stadium at half-time.

In the end, Arsenal showed an unfamiliar resolve in the second half, but questions remain about their attitude and ability. They were meek, bloodless and fragile for large parts. Unai Emery’s Arsenal tenure is very much in the balance.