Arsenal: Unai Emery still towing identity line

Unai Emery spoke about how he wants his Arsenal side to impose themselves on Wolves on Saturday afternoon. He is still towing the identity line, however empty that now sounds.

When Unai Emery arrived at Arsenal, inheriting what Arsene Wenger left behind, there was a hope that he would install a new identity at the club, a philosophy and approach that the whole organisation could get behind.

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There was much talk of a ‘process’. Emery was tasked with starting from the ground and building up. He was to first rip apart the foundations of the previous regime, rebuild his own integral tenets, and then start to bring progress to the club, on and off the pitch. He was meant to provide an identity.

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But so far, if there is one way to describe how Arsenal have played under Emery, it would be without identity. They have no clear definition or approach, there is no philosophy, the players are confused, hesitating as a result. There is ambiguity and dissonance, not clarity and certainty.

Nevertheless, speaking ahead of Saturday’s match against Wolves, Emery was asked how his side would approach what is an awkward but winnable game. He again reiterated the importance of his side playing in their own identity:

"“Now we want to right our match, to play preparing our match with respecting them 30% and imposing our idea 70%. This is my idea every match and tomorrow is the same. We are thinking and respecting them but above all we need to create our strong structure also with the ball, with possession, with our gameplan and defensively we know we need to stop them.”"

These may seem like encouraging words to hear. It is certainly what many fans have been calling for. But, thus far, the evidence of the team’s play on the pitch suggests that they are empty, meaningless, non-committal speak that pertains little to the truth.

Emery may claim to be a manager of definition and philosophy, but Arsenal have lacked those very characteristics throughout his reign. And a large reason for that is his very tinkering with the team, and not just in personnel but in tactics, too. Even this season, Emery has already used a 4-4-2 diamond, flat 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. And this is without considering the back-three-based shapes he used last year.

How can you instil an identity in a team when you are consistently changing that team? Unless if your identity is to make yourself so adaptable that you can play in whatever manner you need to, depending on the opponent you play, it is very difficult to do. Emery is undermining his own vision, if that is indeed his vision in the first place.

The identity PR speak, then, is difficult to listen to and accept. It may sound encouraging, but the evidence points towards something else, no matter what Emery may extol.