Arsenal: The 5 big reasons why Unai Emery was fired

1. A lack of identity

Even now, 18 months into the job, if you had to ask the Arsenal players what were the key tactical tenets of a Unai Emery team, I am not sure they would be able to tell you. Muddled team selections, poor communication, which his broken English did not help, and relentless tinkering all led to a lack of a clear identity.

Perhaps this is what Emery wanted. He stated in the summer that he wants his team to extremely adaptable, such that they can play in a variety of ways depending on the opponent they face. But his adjustments were such that they redefined how his team played every week. The players simply could not cope.

Where Arsene Wenger gave his players so much freedom that they needed instruction to define their style of play, Emery gave them so many instructions — and so many different instructions — that they crossed wires, confused the players, and led to the same outcome: a team that lacked identity.

Under Unai Emery, Arsenal were a good team, being horribly coached, playing awfully. And it all stems from the Spaniard’s inability to instil an identity in his squad. This, at the end of it all, was the main reason for his sacking.