Gary Neville has hit out at those criticising Arsenal boss Unai Emery for making no impact on the side, claiming that there is a clear change in the team’s style of play and anyone who believes otherwise must not be “watching the same game”.
Writing for ‘Sky Sports’, the former Manchester United defender said: “The execution of the idea may not be there yet but if you look, first of all, at the defensive idea, which Unai Emery is obviously working on, I don’t think I have seen for over ten years.
“They are not always getting it right. In fact, they are quite often getting it wrong. But the idea that you can see the coaches working on is there.
“He has got them in a shape that I have not seen Arsenal be in too many times. The back line are trying to push up with the ball, which, again, I think Arsenal have been lazy at, and we have seen them continually shift the possession.
“He is trying to undo quite a lot of the bad habits, to be quite honest with you, that have been going on for the last five or six years, that those players have had in them.
“But the principle is there and that’s a big change for me. It’s a big step forward and if I were Unai Emery after these first two games against Manchester City and Chelsea I would be taking the positives.
“When I think of the six versus four that Unai Emery has created in possession, they look to be in positions where, from the shape of the team, they can progress from.
“I never saw Arsenal play out from the back like this last year in terms of having the options there. They are getting caught on occasions and the execution is wrong but to say that the idea is not there or it is the same as last year is an absolute nonsense and it is disrespectful.”
Unai Emery’s Arsenal will take on West Ham on Saturday at the Emirates and will hope to get their first three points of the season.