Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe shows where blame now lies

Nicolas Pepe has called on the Arsenal players to turn things around. His comments — as well as the lack of impact changing the manager has had — show where the blame now lies.

Unai Emery was not a very good head coach. He was tactically undefined and confused, struggled to get the best out of his most influential players, he lacked any sense of identity, was overly conservative, and ultimately led to Arsenal’s worst run in more than 30 years.

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During his tenure at the helm, there was an automatic defence made for the players. Such were the disadvantageous positions they were put in on the pitch, you could hardly criticise them for their poor performances.

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As such, when Emery was sacked a little over two weeks ago, there was a tentative expectation that the players would flourish and step into the new era with positivity and effervescence and excitement. The shackles, it was believed, would be released. Sadly, we were all mistaken.

Arsenal have played five games in all competitions since Emery’s departure. They have won one and played well in none of them. And without Emery to face the blame, the responsibility falls onto the players. There is no protection of an underperforming manager to take the criticism.

After Sunday’s disparaging 3-0 defeat to Manchester City that only confirmed the distance between the two clubs and the work that must be done at the Emirates, winger Nicolas Pepe shirked no challenges in pointing at himself and his teammates as the ones responsible for the poor performances and results this season:

"“Freddie tries hard, he talks to us, but nothing has changed much in terms of results. It’s down to us the players, not the coach. Freddie is close to us because he used to be a player not long ago. He knows what we feel so it’s easier for us to talk with him. We will continue to work hard to make things better and win again <…> With hard work, it will get better with Freddie or someone else. Us players have to do better quickly. We have won only one game out of the last 12. It is not enough, we are Arsenal. It is about us, not the coach or anything else. We have to wake up quickly, starting against Everton.”"

Certainly the demise of the team and club goes further up the chain than the players and the manager. The entire organisation has been utterly mismanaged for several seasons, including under Arsene Wenger. From the recruitment of talent to hiring the right head coach, there have been many, many mistakes made.

But considering their current desperate run this season, blaming the owners and board is a little shortsighted. Yes, they put the team in a bad position to start the campaign, but at some point, the players must take responsibility for their performances. And as Pepe rightly highlights, with no Emery to deflect, the criticism falls on them.

It is now time for the players to step up and deliver. The blame lies on them, and it is up to them to right a quickly sinking ship.