Arsenal: The 5 big reasons why Unai Emery was fired

2. Failing to deliver on promises

When Unai Emery introduced himself, his management style, and the tactical tenets with which he would approach the job, he used two key words: that he wanted his players to be ‘protagonists’ and that he would implement ‘intense pressing’. 18 months later, and these promises were obviously empty.

There were moments when these tactical approaches came to pass. Victories against Chelsea and Spurs showed that Emery was beginning to loosen the attacking strings, unleash his players, and make the most of a high-intensity pressing game to suffocate the opposition, recover possession and break with speed and ferocity on an exposed defence. But on the whole, these matches were the anomalies, not the norm.

In the latter Arsene Wenger years, the lack of pressing was a major gripe of fans. So, when Emery so plainly stated that this would be a critical piece of his tactical approach, there was a natural excitement at the prospect. Sadly, this excitement was empty, as were Emery’s early promises.