Unai Emery's Arsenal: On the road to success?

Succeeding Arsene Wenger was always going to be a monumental task for any manager and it was former PSG coach Unai Emery that was tasked with that very job. The Spaniard took over the reins in the summer and has worked meticulously to steady the ship in North London and get Arsenal back to where they feel they belong. With it being near the halfway point of his first season, what has he changed and how has he done?

First-half hoodoo

The Gunners have enjoyed a solid start to the current campaign, enduring defeat just once since August during their visit to Stamford Bridge. Despite this, after four months and 17 Premier League games into the season, Emery's Arsenal are still yet to go into the break with a lead.

In those 17 games, the North-London outfit have been level 12 times while being in losing positions on five occasions. Arsenal rank an extraordinary 19th in the Premier League in terms of first-half performances while ranking 2nd for their second-half exploits.

This radical improvement in the second period appears to be no coincidence for the London side, with many suggestions that it is actually a tactic employed by Emery. The Spaniard's high-intense pressing style seems to be utilised more after the break, waiting for the opposition to tire before exploiting this.

High fitness levels appear to be a fundamental part of Emery's managerial style with it reported he banned fruit juice from the menu at Arsenal in the summer. Spanish right-back Hector Bellerin highlighted his new manager's stylistic approach differing to Arsène Wenger in August.

“I think the training has fully changed. Arsène had different views of football that the new head coach has, so obviously, it's changed. From the gym sessions that we had before training, to the sessions on the pitch and the running, everything has changed." - Hector Bellerin

This has been reflected in their second-half successes, clearly superior to many teams in the English top-flight when it comes to fitness levels. They rank first when it comes to the average distance covered by Premier League teams this season, seven places above where they finished last year under Wenger.

Pragmatism

One thing Wenger was often criticised for towards the end of his highly successful tenure at Arsenal was his stubbornness and unwillingness to make changes in style or personnel. This is something you certainly couldn’t say about Emery thus far.

The 47-year-old’s tactical flexibility and readiness to switch things up early have been two massive positives for the Gunners in the opening months of the season.

They have already made 15 half-time substitutions in the league, four more than any other side. These changes have proved to be vital too, most noticeably in the North London derby when Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette were introduced at the break with Arsenal losing 2-1.

The change in formation from a 3-4-2-1 to a more traditional 3-5-2 allowed the former to operate in a free zone as Lacazette and Aubameyang pinned back Spurs’ centre-backs. Ramsey pitched in with two assists and Lacazette scored the third for the home side as they claimed all three points in a 4-2 win.

The Gunners overcame a Spurs comeback in a thrilling North London derby

This type of pragmatism and in-game management was exactly what the Emirates faithful was calling out for in the last few campaigns. Emery clearly switches up his tactics depending on the opposition, having a reputation for meticulous analysis in every department.

Changes to style

Wenger’s Arsenal were always known for their aesthetic approach in possession, creating a plethora of chances each game through their line breaking passes and quick one-twos. Emery’s Arsenal appears to have a different approach to both chance creation and style when in possession.

There now appears to be a large emphasis on creating through the fullbacks, with frequent low cut-backs a common theme for producing chances. These low crosses appear to be more accurate than what Wenger’s fullbacks would often produce, instead aiming for crosses into an area rather than low cut-backs.

Héctor Bellerín has already recorded four assists this season, one more than he managed throughout the whole of the previous campaign. This combined with the 6% increase in cross accuracy (from 16% to 22%) show the change in style is proving to be effective.

Left-back Sead Kolašinac has also created a massive four big chances in six starts this season, compared to just six big chances in 27 starts last season.

Héctor Bellerín has impressed in the red of Arsenal this season

This method of attacking down the flanks with fullbacks is clearly one employed by Emery due to the lack of quality wingers at his disposal. This has resulted in less of a reliance on Mesut Özil to create chances, as the Gunners often looked too passive in his absence in previous years.

The main alteration in approach has been Arsenal’s playing out and building from the back. It was obvious from an early stage that Emery wanted his team to start attacks from the goalkeeper and defenders, with less of an emphasis on kicking it long from goal kicks.

Under Wenger Petr Cech averaged just over 24 passes per match, while under Emery he has so far managed 32, a 150% increase.

Cech clearly struggled to adapt to this new style of passing under pressure but Bernd Leno seems to be a lot more assured in possession. This has resulted in a number of attacks being started from the ‘keeper, most notably a brilliant team goal against Leicester in November to seal a 3-1 win.

Key Players

A number of Arsenal players have stood out during Emery’s short time in charge. There have been massive improvements in academy graduates Alex Iwobi and Héctor Bellerín already, with both players evidently shining under new leadership.

Alexandre Lacazette has also continued his impressive form from the back end of last season, scoring nine goals in red and white.

Aubameyang has netted 12 times this season

However, it is hard to look past Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lucas Torreira as Arsenal’s two key men since Emery has taken charge. Summer arrival Torreira has certainly taken the league by storm, being given four man-of-the-match awards in his last six outings.

The Uruguayan’s tough-tackling and tenacious approach in midfield is exactly what the Gunners have been missing in the centre of the park. The 22-year-old has formed a formidable midfield partnership with Granit Xhaka, easing the Swiss international’s defensive burden, which has allowed him to flourish.

The aforementioned Aubameyang has found life under Emery fruitful as well, scoring 10 Premier League goals, the joint-most in England’s top-flight. Whether he has been deployed on the left or through the middle he has been a constant threat to opposing defences.

While there have been evident improvements Emery is still not completely satisfied with his team’s start to the season.

“At the moment the balance is positive, but it is not enough. We need to keep the scoring statistic but concede fewer chances and let in fewer goals.”

This kind of mentality is exactly what the fans will be wanting as Arsenal continue to fight on all fronts domestically.