Arsenal: The rise and fall of Unai Emery

The Resolution

Emery was pushed out the door by way of a slow-burn that had been smouldering for months. At times, it looked like he might be able to recover and give Arsenal fans what they had been promised, but his fickle actions prevented a true breakthrough.

The consistent build-up of groaning fans, agitated players and dreadful results and performances finally reached a boiling point in November of 2019.

The final dagger to eradicate whatever life Emery had left in his Arsenal career was a Europa League loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. The club parted ways with the Spaniard on a low note as they were winless in the last seven games, slipping towards the bottom half of the table, and almost out of the Champions League race before it had even begun.

With Mikel Arteta now heading the club, Emery’s rule seems like a lifetime ago. The team looks to be back on track and Arteta looks to be in it for the long haul. In the end, the Emery era at Arsenal was fleeting, initially filled with hope, expectation, energy, impetus and drive, but ultimately ended in disappointment and disarray.

As does any story, Emery’s contains ups and downs. A club as big as Arsenal provides a tremendous spotlight, magnifying every event that takes place. And for Emery, that harsh spotlight shines all the brighter on his error-strewn ways. In the end, he was unable to lead the club out of Wenger’s shadow. And now it is the turn of the next man.