Arsenal: What Mikel Arteta must do differently from Unai Emery

Unai Emery demanded that the Arsenal players adapt to his system. Only, his system was ineffective. Mikel Arteta must make the same demands, but then implement a beneficial system.

When Unai Emery arrived at Arsenal, there was a great desire to see how he would push the players into a new system. Arsene Wenger, his predecessor, was infamously loyal and supportive of his players. He gave them great freedom of expression, encouraged them to play with autonomy and positivity.

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This was an admirable approach, but it lacked discipline and challenge. The players felt they could get away with things. Mediocrity and complacency slipped into their games and there was no individual to call it out. So, when Emery entered the fray, it was hoped that he would push the players out of their comfort zone, forcing them to adapt to his approach and dropping them if they were unwilling to do so.

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And initially, that is what Emery did. Mesut Ozil was dropped from the team early on, Bernd Leno eventually usurped at the goalkeeper position, while the likes of Nacho Monreal, Shkodran Mustafi and Mohamed Elneny were eased out of the picture, before eventually being entirely replaced in the summer transfer window.

However, while his pushing the players to discover what they were capable of was the right move, what let Emery down was the effectiveness of the system. Where Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and other elite managers have dropped star players because they do not fit their system, Emery did the same but did so in a manner that hurt the team because his tactical set-up was lacking. Guardiola drops Joe Hart because he recognises the importance of a goalkeeper who passes with his feet; Emery drops Ozil and then lacks any offensive creativity and does not replace it in another way.

Emery’s mistake was not that he dropped Ozil, Mustafi and others; his error was that his system was not worth dropping the superior players for. This is where his successor must right the wrongs: push the players in the same manner, but implement a more effective system that justifies dropping them.

The man who is set to replace Emery is Mikel Arteta, the deal expected to be officially confirmed this week. Arteta played at Arsenal under Wenger, has been an assistant under Guardiola at City, and has spoken about his coaching philosophy in the past, including in 2014 when he said the first port of call is for his players to be fully committed to his approach.

But this is precisely what Emery wanted. What Arteta must do differently, then, is ensure that his approach is indeed a beneficial one. Where Emery was dropping players and making the team worse because his system was so poor it was almost non-existent, Arteta must prove that a cohesion execution of his system is more beneficial than better players failing to play with connection.

Arteta will demand that the players adapt to his style. He is justified to do so. But if he is to be successful, he must prove that this style is indeed positive for the team. That is where Emery went wrong, and it is where Arteta must be different.