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The past week has been a very controversial affair for Arsenal and the people at the club. Losing at the home of a promoted side, somehow clawing their way back against a pretty average Portuguese team at home before throwing away a two-goal lead against Crystal Palace. Add to that the theatricals of Granit Xhaka, their captain who has become public enemy number one and the state of affairs look pretty abysmal. They had the chance to right the wrongs at Anfield last night but yet again threw away 2-goal leads twice to bow out of the Carabao Cup on penalties against a second string Liverpool side.
Their away form is dismal with just one win on the road in the Premier League this season. Their home form is not great either with unconvincing wins over Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Burnley. The Gunners have put in a lot of insipid performances this season and the team looks has never looked more disjointed. They have scored only 15 goals while conceding 14 in only 10 games. Such numbers are not good enough for a side with top four aspirations.
Pressure is mounting on Unai Emery to steady the ship but there are no signs of any significant improvement or development. Arsenal are currently in fifth place, four points adrift of Chelsea in fourth place. Liverpool and Manchester City seem to set for the top two places, and even Leicester and Chelsea look miles ahead of Arsenal, despite having new managers.
Both Leicester and Chelsea have managers with a clear philosophy, a clear reason why those two teams are playing eye-catching football. They are reaping rewards of sticking to their principles and have a young but settled team. On the other hand, even after 16 months in the job, Emery does not have a clear idea about his first XI. The constant chopping and changing has not worked and as a result, Arsenal has been left lurching in disarray.
The Mesut Ozil saga is not helping him either, with fans angered over the treatment of Mesut Ozil. After being neglected for four weeks, Emery drafted Ozil into the squad at Anfield in the Carabao Cup. Inspite of playing for just 66 minutes, Ozil put in a Man of the Match performance. His substitution left fans scratching their heads as his presence would have helped Arsenal close out the match.
Emery has very little time to win over the fans and turn around the fortunes of his side. He is on borrowed time and if the results don't go their way in the coming matches, the Arsenal board may have to look at other alternatives. Here are five managers who can replace Unai Emery should the need arise.
#5. Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta was considered as the man to replace Arsene Wenger and take Arsenal forward. He had the required qualities too. He was a great servant ay Arsenal for five seasons and captained the team in two of those seasons. He knew the club inside out and was a respected figure at the Emirates. Wenger himself had stated that Mikel Arteta was manager material and one day would make it to the top. The only thing that went against him was the lack of relative experience in the job.
Arteta rejected a one-year extension at Arsenal to start his coaching career as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. He could not resist the chance to work with one of the greatest managers of all time. Pep himself has spoken highly of him as a manager and admired his man-managing skills.
Now, with a couple of seasons under his belt as an assistant manager, time could be ripe for Arteta to take the next step in his fledgling career.
#4. Nuno Espirito Santo
Nuno Espirito Santo is currently managing Wolverhampton Wanderers and is doing a pretty good job at that. Nuno started is coaching career at Rio Ave in Portugal and had further spells at Valencia and FC Porto. However, it is his spell at Wolves which has thrown him into the coaching limelight.
Nuno joined Wolves in 2017 and led them to the Premier League in his first season winning, the EFL Championship and securing promotion in the process. He made a lot of good signings in the 2018 summer transfer window with experienced players like Rui Patricio and Joao Moutinho joining. Young guns like Diogo Jota and Raul Gimenez also came on board.
Wolves played solid football throughout with Nuno opting to deploy a 4-4-2 formation. It resulted in the club ending up seventh in the Premier League, their highest finish in over half a decade. They defeated Torino FC in the UEFA Europa League play-offs to reach the group stages of the continent's second-tier competition.
His teams are compact and well organised defensively. His experience in the Premier League and now the UEFA Europa League is an added bonus for him to be considered for the role of Arsenal boss shoudl Emery be asked to leave.
#3. Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers was once considered to replace Arsene Wenger even before Wenger had left the job. During his final years with the Gunners, results were not going Arsenal's way and the fans had started turning on Wenger. Rodgers, at that time had led Swansea to the Premier League from the championship. They finished mid-table in their first season in the top flight and played beautiful attacking football. He was immediately snapped up by Liverpool, much to the disappointment of the Arsenal fans and almost led them to the title. He later joined Celtic and won all the domestic trophies in Scotland.
He is currently managing Leicester City who are third in the league and are playing some eye-catching football. Their performances have been highly praised in all quarters and are giving sleepless nights to the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United in the race for top four.
Rodgers has the experience of managing at the top of the Premier League and his style of play suits Arsenal's philosophy. He could be a worthy candidate and can bring a smile to the faces of the disgruntled Arsenal supporters.
#2. Massimiliano Allegri
Massimiliano Allegri is a serial winner and has won Serie A titles with both AC Milan and Juventus. He won the domestic double in four consecutive seasons with the Bianconeri between 2015 and 2018, becoming the only coach to achieve this feat in the top five European leagues in the process.
His win percentage at Juventus (70.4) is the highest ever at the club by any manager. Along with Mikel Arteta, he was a primary candidate for the Arsenal job.
He is widely regarded as a very astute manager and has a calming influence over the dressing room. His possession style and intricate passing play is the way Arsenal have played over the years. He could definitely help stabilise the club and give them a new identity. His teams are always solid at the back and difficult to break down.
He is on a sabbatical after his time with the Old Lady and this job could be the type of challenge he would like to take on and prove his mettle in the England
#1.Jose Mourinho
The self-proclaimed Special One, Jose Mourinho is to top teams what Sam Allardyce is to struggling teams. When you need promotion from the championship or are struggling in the relegation zone in the Premier League, Allardyce is the go-to man for most of the clubs. If you want titles and glory for your club, Jose Mourinho is your man more often than not.
Mourinho has won everywhere he has managed. Right from Porto to Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and again Chelsea. He even won the UEFA Europa League with possibly one of the more unfacied Manchester United side's of recent times. He has won a league title in four different countries, the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs and domestic cups with all the clubs he has managed. There is no doubt he is a specialist at winning.
If appointed, it is sure to raise a few eyebrows given his tumultuous relationship with Arsene Wenger and his constant criticism of the Gunners but if he is to be the next Arsenal manager, it could go a long way in defining the club's future.
