Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Wolves: 5 things we learned – Unai Emery, it is time

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 02: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal gives his team instructions during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on November 02, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 02: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal gives his team instructions during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on November 02, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 02: Raul Jimenez of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates with teammates Diogo Jota and Ruben Vinagre after scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on November 02, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 02: Raul Jimenez of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates with teammates Diogo Jota and Ruben Vinagre after scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on November 02, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) /

1. Unai Emery, it is time

I have written extensively this week about the one remaining argument in favour of Unai Emery: that you cannot prove he is a bad manager because of the circumstances and size of the sample size that he is presently being judged on.

Nevertheless, while one game does not make such a line of thinking null and void, Emery’s tactical choices in this match were as peculiar as they have been all season, quite clearly illustrating his inability to either fix the problems or recognise their existence in the first place.

The use of a 4-4-2 diamond was wrong from the outset. Everyone called it as soon as the line-ups were announced. His instruction was then extremely confusing, especially in central midfield, with Arsenal looking overly fluid and unstructured for large periods. His substitutions were even worse, withdrawing two of the most effective players with a one-goal lead and then introducing a like-for-like defender when chasing a winner, all the while leaving the club-record signing on the sidelines.

Next. Arsenal Vs Wolves: Player ratings. dark

There was no individual player who played especially poorly in this game. This was not a capitulation in defence or a lack of creativity in attack. Arsenal are a good team, being poorly coached, which leads to them playing badly. And this was the starkest and most painful illustration.