Arsenal have only won once in three games under Unai Emery, but his influence on the side is already becoming clear. Ahead of their Super Sunday meeting with Cardiff, Nick Wright looks at what’s changed.
Ruthless selection policy
Three weeks into the season, Emery has already shown that he is unafraid to make bold selection decisions. Arsene Wenger was reluctant to make substitutions before the 70th minute and rarely dropped his senior players, but Emery has changed the dynamic completely.
Mesut Ozil is the most high-profile example of the new policy in action. Wenger always defended the playmaker against criticism, but there has been no special treatment from Emery, who told him he needed to work harder after his subdued showing in the opening day defeat to Manchester City. “Defensive moments are for each and every player,” he said.
Ozil was then substituted in the 68th minute after another muted display against Chelsea, and he was not even in the squad when they faced West Ham. The official line was that he was unwell, but Emery’s early weeks in charge suggest there might have been more to it.
Ozil is not the only player to have felt Emery’s ruthlessness. Granit Xhaka started all but one of their Premier Leagues game under Wenger last season and was only substituted seven times in total, but he was hooked after 70 minutes against City and hauled off at half-time against Chelsea. Aaron Ramsey, meanwhile, was dropped to the bench at Stamford Bridge.
Playing out from the back
“Over most of my career I was always asked to play long , so this is pleasant change for me.” Said Cech
Emery’s disregard for reputation can be seen in his faith in youth, too. Teenaged midfielder Matteo Guendouzi was playing in France’s second tier last season but he earned praise for his performance against City and kept his place against Chelsea and West Ham, with Lucas Torreira forced to settle for a place among the substitutes.
Pressing priority
Playing out from the back is the priority with the ball but it’s all about pressing without it. “He wants us to press and press really high up the pitch,” said Ramsey recently. “He demands a lot,” added Iwobi.
High-pressing tactics are nothing new to the Premier League, with Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino all employing them to good effect in recent seasons, but they were not used consistently by Wenger, whose Arsenal team was often accused of lacking structure and organisation out of possession.
“It’s changed a lot,” added Bellerin back in July. “We’re working harder than we used to work. We’re doing a lot of work in the gym that obviously we always used to do, but I think it’s turned up a notch. He is a coach that wants us to press, to run around a lot during the games so obviously if we want to be ready to do that in the league we have do it in training.”
Arsenal are already feeling the benefits. Emery will hope to see more progress when they face Cardiff on Sunday