Is Unai Emery the man to end Arsenal’s 24-year dry spell in Europe?
Although the UEFA Europa League might not have the prestige of the Champions League, it’s a trophy nonetheless and one that the Gunners have a real shot at winning this season. Under Emery, North London’s finest have strung together a 20-game unbeaten run that has shades of the infamous Invincibles. As part of their latest streak, Arsenal have pieced together four wins and a draw in the Europa League group stage.
Although a slightly lacklustre no-score draw with Sporting CP will be seen as a blemish on an otherwise perfect record, the Arsenal faithful can take comfort from the fact we’ve scored 11 and conceded just two goals so far. Comparatively speaking, only one team has better stats than that and it’s Chelsea. Yes, others have netted a few more, but in terms of goals for/against and all-round consistency, Arsenal are among the top performers.
The numbers are in Arsenal’s favour
Naturally, statistics will only get you so far in football, but the current crop of players have already done enough to persuade the bookies they can win the Europa League. Currently priced at 13/2 with MansionBet as an example, Emery’s men are only outgunned by Chelsea on the odds front and, even then, it’s by a fairly narrow margin (currently 4/1). In fact, for those looking to take a punt, many bookies are offering enhanced odds on Europa League fixtures. Does a price boost make the Gunners a better bet as we head towards the knockout stages of the competition? As we’ve said, a 20-game unbeaten run is impressive, however it happens. What’s more, the team’s current performance in the Europa League has been faultless.
However, perhaps the most significant reason why Arsenal could be a good bet to win the Europa League is because of Emery. Despite being a managerial minnow in comparison to the likes of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, Emery appears to have won the respect of his players.
Legends back Emery but manager remains focused
Assessing the new manager’s recent performance, Adams believes Emery is more focused on the team rather than the club as a whole. Wenger was notoriously fixated on the well-being and survival of the club as a whole. For Adams, Emery cares about his players first and everything else second.
“He just concentrates on the team now and he’s getting them motivated,” the former defender told The Express in December.
This desire to get the very best out of what he’s got to work with has become evident in recent weeks. Despite the plaudits flooding in, Emery told The Guardian that anything before or after today doesn’t matter. In his mind, an unbeaten run means nothing if the players fails to perform in the moment. This acute focus on daily improvements is why Arsenal have become a force domestically and on the European scene this season. In fact, despite conceding only two goals in five Europa League matches, the manager believes things need to tighten up at the back.
“We want to be further away from our box when the opposition has the ball. Our challenge is improving this. We are conceding more goals than we want. Our balance is positive but we can improve that and every day we are working tactically,” explained Emery.
The dawn of a new era through shades of the past
Is this a move back to the George Graham days of a boring but defensively immense Arsenal? No. In reality, Emery’s style seems to be taking pieces of the Graham and Wenger eras and blending them with his own brand of football. At this stage, it’s too early to tell how that will work out. However, in the moment, things are working and that could result in a Europa League title.
Of course, the route to the final won’t be easy. With Chelsea an ever-present threat, the Gunners will have to be on top form to win. One thing is for certain though, there’s no doubt the new manager has created a sense of optimism among the players, the fans and everyone else involved with the club. That, beyond from the stats, odds and opinions of pundits, could be the biggest reason to put your faith in Arsenal this season.