Unai Emery: Adios

[Sniper Mik]

We had no like for like replacement for Xhaka. Neither Ceballos or Willock do the same role as what Xhaka does, they both are box-to-box/attack minded midfielders who like to support the attack. Xhaka sits in midfield and starts attacks. Besides after the penalty incident Xhaka was fine and I don't see how taking him off would've improve us in terms of building attacks.

Guendouzi can do that job if he's asked to. He's infinitely more press resistant. You might say we need him up the field, we have Ceballos for that.

 

[Jasard]

When he first joined he seem to have some guts back he has lost that a bit. Either he rates Xhaka or doesn't have thr guts to drop one of our more senior players. Not sure which is worse. Mkhi was clearly his default attacking sub without any consideration for the game.

 

[darkgunner]

Emery needs to boot out Xhaka and tell him to go play golf or some ****. If he wants to keep his job as manager, it has got to be done.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

"He signs them, he coach them and he picks them"

 

[Iceman10]

Have had an open mind regarding Emery, but I don't see how a CM of Xhaka, Douzi, Torreira fits with going with a front three of Auba-Laca-Pepe. Not sure what Emery pictured in his head of how that all fitted together, if he pictured anything at all. Willock should have been given the start, Ceballos probably also.

Emery isn't going to be sacked, so we have what we have. This is purely about whether Emery stays beyond this season. Beyond time to bench Xhaka for at least a few matches.

 

[Sniper Mik]

Have had an open mind regarding Emery, but I don't see how a CM of Xhaka, Douzi, Torreira fits with going with a front three of Auba-Laca-Pepe. Not sure what Emery pictured in his head of how that all fitted together, if he pictured anything at all. Willock should have been given the start, Ceballos probably also.

Emery isn't going to be sacked, so we have what we have. This is purely about whether Emery stays beyond this season. Beyond time to bench Xhaka for at least a few matches.

I don't think he stays even if he finishes in the Top 4. There are clear issues about the football we're playing that should have been ironed out by now but hasn't. We cannot keep putting in incoherent performances, with good patches in 20-25 minute spells. He's probably the right profile of manager we needed for the "Get into the Top 4 ASAP" project because of his result oriented management style. But long term stability cannot be sustained by such an approach.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Guendouzi can do that job if he's asked to. He's infinitely more press resistant. You might say we need him up the field, we have Ceballos for that.

Guendouzi will play that role in the future I believe, he lacks experience to do it now and I don't think he really understands the role yet. You can experiment with him in that role in games of lesser importance.

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

Apart from the personnel (Xhaka should have been nowhere near the team, and Mikhi shouldn't have come on) I would have thought Emery done all the things the Emery out brigade wanted? He went ultra attack, playing PAL with a back four. With Kola and AMN bombing forward at every opportunity. It resulted in us having numerous players in or around the penalty area everytime we attacked. We created a lot of chances (Pepe on his own could have had a hattrick), we pinned back Sp**s for most of the game, only in certain intervals were they able to get out and the game became frantic high speed end to end.

Having watched such a game I would have thought this is exactly what people have been advocating for. Weren't they entertained? with better finishing on both sides it would have been about 5-4 or 6-3 to us, something which again some people said they prefer.

But no, surprise, surprise, they are still moaning about something, god knows what it is this time though. It is almost like they want to criticise for the sake of it. When we are getting the results, it is 'but we are so boring to watch, I rather see entertaining football'. When our xG is lower than the opponents, it will be used as the ultimate measuring stick. Ditto with total shots.

Anyway, please continue, it does make for fascinating reading sometimes.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Some serious perspective needed.

The performance today was pretty good and a couple of individual errors cost us 2 goals.

We currently have more points than our 3 top 4 rivals in Sp**s, Chelsea and United. All this despite having already played Liverpool and Sp**s, Chelsea certainly have had easier fixtures on paper as have United.

If we play like we did today in such a dominant fashion then we'll beat most teams that we play against, certainly most teams outside of the top 6. But if we play like this vs United and Chelsea we'll almost certainly have too much for both of them.

People are losing their heads because we drew a game against a rival who're probably evenly matched with us and who've finished above us 3 seasons in a row, and who were in a CL final might I add. For me it's the games against the lesser teams were we dropped points last season were I'll really judge Emery's impact especially we drop points against the likes of Palace, Brighton, Southampton and the likes this season again.

 

[krengon]

Disappointing result, but very good performance overall.. We deserved to win and created enough chances to do so, momentum was on our side after the equalizer, really needed to punish them there.. Individual mistakes cost us this game.

Hopefully we'll never see Xhaka and Guendouzi playing together again unless injury crisis.. While Guendouzi was brilliant individually the midfield was awful as a unit, Torreira in that role didn't work at all either..

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Apart from the personnel (Xhaka should have been nowhere near the team, and Mikhi shouldn't have come on) I would have thought Emery done all the things the Emery out brigade wanted? He went ultra attack, playing PAL with a back four. With Kola and AMN bombing forward at every opportunity. It resulted in us having numerous players in or around the penalty area everytime we attacked. We created a lot of chances (Pepe on his own could have had a hattrick), we pinned back Sp**s for most of the game, only in certain intervals were they able to get out and the game became frantic high speed end to end.

Having watched such a game I would have thought this is exactly what people have been advocating for. Weren't they entertained? with better finishing on both sides it would have been about 5-4 or 6-3 to us, something which again some people said they prefer.

But no, surprise, surprise, they are still moaning about something, god knows what it is this time though. It is almost like they want to criticise for the sake of it. When we are getting the results, it is 'but we are so boring to watch, I rather see entertaining football'. When our xG is lower than the opponents, it will be used as the ultimate measuring stick. Ditto with total shots.

Anyway, please continue, it does make for fascinating reading sometimes.

He did. They just don't care tho. They'll simply move onto something else to criticise him for. The same people who were begging for us to go with 4atb, bring back Torreira, playing Auba-Laca-Pepe, better xG, entertaining football are the same ones who'll criticise him regardless.

It's not that they want Emery to do anything specific they don't like him and that's that. They will spin even positives into something to bash Emery.

 

[Manberg]

Serious question: would anyone take Mourinho?

 

[arsenefc]

reminds me of that old moan ... our fans are paying the highest ticket prices in the league ... havent heard that recently though

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

Serious question: would anyone take Mourinho?

Hell no.

 

[razörist]

You guys don’t understand, the team fought themselves back on NLD passion, nothing good from that comeback came from the manager. Wait for him to **** up the line-up against Palace at home when we won’t have that passion boost. What a coward.

 

[Sniper Mik]

Serious question: would anyone take Mourinho?

How dare you

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

He did. They just don't care tho. They'll simply move onto something else to criticise him for. The same people who were begging for us to go with 4atb, bring back Torreira, playing Auba-Laca-Pepe, better xG, entertaining football are the same ones who'll criticise him regardless.

It's not that they want Emery to do anything specific they don't like him and that's that. They will spin even positives into something to bash Emery.

That is what it looks like. But I would have thought those people would have stayed out of this thread after a game like that. Atleast keep it subtle.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Serious question: would anyone take Mourinho?

No because he'll destroy our club he has big ego he'll piss off many of our stars he'll make us play defensive football.

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

You guys don’t understand, the team fought themselves back on NLD passion, nothing good from that comeback came from the manager. Wait for him to **** up the line-up against Palace at home when we won’t have that passion boost. What a coward.

Well in that case criticise him after the Palace home game then. And this notion that everything good we did was the players and everything bad was Emery's is a bit silly now.

 

[arsenefc]

Well in that case criticise him after the Palace home game then. And this notion that everything good we did was the players and everything bad was Emery's is a bit silly now.

moaning about moaning is as bad as moaning.