Arsenal Vs Southampton: More than a must-win match

Arsenal host Southampton on Saturday afternoon as the Premier League returns following the international break. For Unai Emery, this game is more than just a must-win.

Things have not been going well for Unai Emery. 24 points from his last 19 Premier League matches dating back to last season, just four wins this year, closer to 17th than fourth. Arsenal are not playing well, failing to win games, and Emery is the man that fans largely believe is responsible.

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After a tumultuous international break following the disastrous 2-0 loss to Leicester City that illustrated two teams heading in very different directions, Emery now faces a series of matches to save his job, starting with Saturday’s home tie against Southampton.

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Arsenal should win. Southampton are in 19th position. They have one point in their last seven games and have conceded 23 goals in that time. But these are the games that Emery’s Arsenal have struggled in throughout his career. Against superior opponents, he has implemented a sturdy tactical approach to win that particular match, but when required to impose on the opposition, Emery has routinely watched his team fall short.

Prior to the match, Emery was asked whether he believes it is a must-win fixture. This was his response:

"“Last year we lose the first two matches and we spoke how we can progress. This year we won the first two matches and little by little we lost points and position in the table. Now for me and the players we are going to start again to achieve our objective, thinking how we can reduce the difference with the top four. It is nine points, but last year we had some experience in reducing the gap against important teams and now that’s our objective.”"

There is an immediate problem here. But it actually has nothing to do with what Emery says and everything to do with the question. The assumption is that the results are what have convinced the majority of the supporters to doubt Emery’s validity as head coach. But that would be to misrepresent many’s beliefs. Rather, the criticism that Emery faces is not down to his team losing matches, although that obviously does not help; it is due to the overall uninspiring progress of the team, particularly regarding their performances on the pitch and the identity of their play.

This match against Southampton is not just a must-win. In fact, it is a whole lot more than that. Arsenal not only need to beat Southampton; they must beat them handsomely, playing attacking, attractive football, showing clear progress in their combinations, on and off the ball. The Gunners must show that they have been working on specific plays and tactical elements, and then prove that these are positively impacting.

Let’s say that Emery was to lead his to an embattled 1-0 victory in which they conceded more shots than they took, only scored thanks to a clinical Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and hung in the final 10 minutes, as has often been the case during the Emery era. They would have won, but would it be a positive outing? Would it help subside the doubts hanging over Emery?

The fact that you do not need me to answer those questions tells you everything you need to know. Arsenal need to do more than win on Saturday, they have to win well. That is their real challenge.