Arsenal: Is Unai Emery beginning to understand?

In his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, Unai Emery spoke surprisingly encouragingly when asked about if he could turn around Arsenal’s fortunes. Is he starting to understand?

Arsenal fans’ frustrations with Unai Emery have not stemmed from the results of the team. While 24 points from their last 19 league games, stretching back to last season, is not exactly form to write home about, the problems run much deeper than just the surface-level outcomes of the matches.

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Ask each supporter what their issue with Emery is and you will get a different response — this, by the way, is perhaps the greatest criticism you can offer of a manager’s tenure. His cautious style, his tinkering, the results, his poor communication, his excluding of certain players. There are plenty of problems that you could choose from.

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At the heart of the Emery contention is a disconnect between the fans and the club. Recently, a statement shifted blame from Emery and onto the fans’ criticisms for the struggles of the team, describing supporters’ doubts as ‘noise’, while Emery has curiously praised his players’ execution of specific gameplans after sub-standard performances.

Prior to Saturday’s contest against Southampton, which sees the return of the Premier League following another dire international break, Emery was asked about whether he believes in his own ability to turn around the fortunes of the club. His answer was oddly excellent:

"“I am optimistic and also I know we need to keep better performances with the team, individually and collectively. I know how we can achieve that. First, connecting with our supporters in Emirates, but then also not only thinking about the results. We need to play better and control the game better in 90 minutes. We are winning and drawing, not losing at home, but really we are not convincing the people, the supporters. It’s our first objective. I spoke to the players, our success is going to be starting by being comfortable, strong and confident at home. We want to deserve to win each match.”"

I have been critical of Emery’s public comments in recent weeks. He seems to not understand the extremely justified and reasonable criticisms of the fans and has either wrongly highlighted positive elements of his side’s performances or recognised problems that are not the foundational cause.

But here, Emery seems to understand the gripes thay have grippled his tenure. He talks about ‘better performances’, ‘not only thinking about the results’, for his team to ‘play better and control the game better’ and to ‘deserve to win each match’. These phrases do not allign with what Emery has said previously.

When he was asked to defend his management earlier in the season, asked specifically about the improvements he has made following Arsene Wenger, he spoke about a winning mentality, installing a culture of ruthlessness and resolve. These are results-based aspects of his job. But here, he is focusing on the process, which is what fans have criticised him for most heavily.

Will this lead to genuine and substantial changes on the pitch? Can Emery resurrect his increasingly toxic tenure? That remains to be seen. Arsenal are the kings of empty PR speak, after all. But Emery might just be beginning to understand the fans’ frustrations, and that is, at the very least, a start.