Arsenal: 5 Things We've Learned From Unai Emery and What He Must Fix

It is never easy taking over from a manager who has been in charge of a club and, quite literally, helped build the foundations that have helped it sustain itself. 22 years is a long time at a club and Arsene Wenger was one of the longest-serving football managers in the past 50 years!

Unai Emery wasn't one of the primary candidates for the Arsenal job but when he was given the opportunity to prove his credentials, he impressed the board with his vision and in-depth knowledge of the squad and suddenly the job was his.

Hailing from the Basque Country in Spain, Emery had already proven himself at cash-strapped Valencia and won the Europa League thrice with Sevilla. But Paris Saint-Germain proved to be too big a job considering the number of egos he had to manage in the dressing room.

At Arsenal, he seems to have found himself at home in surroundings that help foster team unity and he has a squad with a willingness to listen to the manager and absorb new ideas.

After a tough start that saw Arsenal lose to Manchester City and Chelsea, Emery has managed to bounce back and the Gunners have since won all six league games. They now sit two points behind the league leaders.

While the improvement is evident, there are also issues that still need to be addressed. Here's what we've learned from his tenure so far.

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#1 Arsenal still need to perfect building from the back

Petr Cech is yet to fully adapt to the new tactic of passing out from the back

Under Emery, the goalkeeper is an extra pair of feet at the back rather than a safe pair of hands. But a lot of criticism was aimed at Emery for trying to teach an old dog new tricks.

36-year-old goalkeeper Petr Cech has for most of his career been a 'keeper that punts the ball forward with a wide range of distribution. So he did find himself in a spot of bother when he had to necessarily play out from the back.

It didn't help him when Emery had two centre-backs who weren't too comfortable with the new tactics either. Time and again, Arsenal were pressed high and kept losing the ball before they could string more than three passes together.

However, Emery has kept at it and the team is slowly coming to grips with the new strategy. The primary reason for this tactic is to draw the opponents in and create space between the lines for midfielders and forwards to exploit.

Bernd Leno's introduction after Cech's injury brought about a sense of calm and his footwork and decision-making is far better than Cech's predictable passing. Emery will not be swayed by pundits with outdated notions and he will only look to improve this aspect of Arsenal's game in the coming months.

#2 Improved training regime and focus on defending

Unai Emery has changed Arsenal's training sessions for the better

From building an outdoor gym right next to the training ground to bringing on board coaches for specific aspects of training and fitness to even banning fruit juice (because it had too much sugar), Emery has gone one step further than Wenger in driving home the finer points of maximising a footballer's potential.

Training sessions that were once held in the morning have been moved to the afternoon as Emery felt if it was closer to the actual kickoff time, the players' bodies would adapt to the conditions better. He has also taken training sessions at the venue (home or away) rather than train at London Colney.

Wenger was known to be quite meticulous with his training sessions, even carrying a stopwatch on him at all times. But for all his focus on beautiful football, Wenger wasn't the best when it came to the defensive aspects of the game - proof of which was visible every other weekend during the final years of his Arsenal tenure.

Such was the lack of any real effort to improve the defensive side of the game that players even revealed that they were not receiving enough coaching with respect to positioning and defensive organisation.

This has changed under Emery. Although it is far from being the finished product, there is progress in how they set themselves up to defend. And that has to do with specific instructions on how to defend as an individual and as a team.

Wenger also almost never focused on the opponents, preferring his players to play their own brand of football and dictate the game. But Emery draws up plans to find weak spots in the opposition's tactics and focus on the strategy to exploit that. Video sessions are also used to study and analyse player strengths and weaknesses.

#3 High-intensity pressing game

Arsenal press intensely to win the ball back under Emery

Wenger's sides rarely pressed as a team. Time and again, one would see only two or three players put pressure on an opponent with the ball before they bypassed the press. Hard working players such as Alexis Sanchez would sometimes be visibly frustrated as a result.

On the other hand, Emery's Arsenal play a high-intensity game where they press in packs by closing down passing channels. This is where his high-intensity training sessions also pay off for the Gunners so that they are in shape to play that kind of game for 90 minutes.

Arsenal were even leading the total sprints this season with the players coming together to win the ball back all across the pitch. These short bursts have also helped them mount attacks of their own with 15 goals coming from open play as a result (second only to Manchester City's 16).

What was also surprising to see was the remarkable improvement in the team's work ethic. Wenger's teams were quite subdued but Emery's team seems to be playing with a new lease of life which has reflected in the results too.

#4 Emery is not afraid to adapt formations but must find definitive roles

Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey have had different roles this season

Emery usually prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation with two deep-lying midfielders. However, he is yet to find the ideal starting XI having inherited a squad that is not quite in his image yet. This is not exactly a nagging issue yet but one that must be addressed to avoid confusion in the ranks as the season progresses.

The biggest concern is trying to squeeze in both Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey in the starting lineup. Ramsey has played most of his Arsenal career as a central midfielder but with two midfielders behind him, Emery has tried to play the Welshman as a no.10, leading to Ozil struggling to find space in the middle.

Also, Ozil has been moved out of a central role and spent some time on the right. This has led to Henrikh Mkhitaryan dropping to the bench - a player whose abilities were useful on the right flank not only in attack but also in supporting Hector Bellerin who was isolated when Ozil drifted inside.

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is a deadly centre-forward but has been played out wide on the left to accommodate Alexandre Lacazette. However, their partnership has seen both players score 4 goals each so far.

This is something Emery is still working on to get the best out of both strikers. The duo shares a healthy camaraderie and there is no animosity over one being preferred over the other.

Lastly, Emery has even attempted to play a 4-2-2-2 formation with no attacking midfielders (Ozil was injured while Ramsey was benched against Fulham) and that shows that the wide players can also shoulder the creative burden if necessary.

#5 Emery ready to give young players a chance

18-year-old Emile Smith Rowe (R) scored his first goal for Arsenal in the Europa League

When Lucas Torreira was signed this summer, the 22-year-old Uruguayan midfielder was expected to walk straight into the Gunners' starting lineup after impressing at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, it was another summer signing who has started five games so far - 19-year-old Matteo Guendouzi.

The young Frenchman's assured passing and constant movement was a breath of fresh air and he belied his age with his mature understanding of what was required in Emery's system. Even though his first two games were against Manchester City and Chelsea, Guendouzi came out with flying colours, especially at Stamford Bridge.

Another player who was tested in pre-season and rewarded with a start in the Europa League was Emile Smith Rowe. The promising 18-year-old attacking midfielder scored his first goal for the senior team but Emery also knows that he has to stay grounded.

“With Emile we have to be calm. He is doing one step more with his career but he is very young and he needs to earn those opportunities.” - Emery on Smith Rowe

Even Alex Iwobi, who had a great debut season but had since lost his way, has improved under Emery. Arsenal struggled last season due to a lack of wing-play and Iwobi has since put that issue to bed with his performances on the left this season.

The 22-year-old has a goal and assist so far this season but, more than those numbers, it is his ability to carry the ball forward, dribble past opponents, and link up with his teammates in the centre that has proved to be instrumental in Arsenal's attacks.

"I’ve lost a bit of weight because of the intense training & I think its made me a bit sharper. The boss has basically told me if something doesn’t work, keep going & don’t dwell on it. " - Alex Iwobi