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Emery signals the winds of change at Arsenal

The only skepticism seen by many Arsenal fans is that his PSG reign was not seen as an outright success. PSG is a different club to Arsenal in more than one ways.

By Prashanth Kumar Purshotam
Unai Emery

Bengaluru, May 25: Last minute preparations were being made at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal football club was about to unveil its new manager after 22 years.

Arsene Wenger’s statue from the tunnel was being removed and a glittering steel plate with the initials of Unai Emery had just been erected outside the Manager’s office. It was a whirlwind first day for the Basque manager which began with a transatlantic flight and ended with a diary full of appointments to discuss and develop the future of the North London club.

In between, Emery in his well fitted new club suit reminded many of Wenger’s gentlemanly demeanors as he greeted the club’s officials and staff and created a positive impression. Maybe it was a similar impression that made the Football executive Ivan Gazidis to rule in favor of Emery rather than the one tipped by the bookies, Mikael Arteta.

What the new Arsenal coach spoke in his first media interaction was particularly intriguing. He talked of the "desire to win, to be among the best in Europe and to beat the best."

Wenger when appointed in 1996 also said that he was "full of confidence and belief that he could do this job" and he did it pretty well for more than two decades.

When Wenger was being appointed as the new Arsenal manager, Emery was settling into Toledo, a Spanish second division club after leaving his first club Real Sociadad.

The left sided midfielder’s playing career was cut short by a knee injury few years later when he was at Lorca Deportiva, who offered him his first managerial job later. Emery gained attention of the Spanish Elite when he got promoted with Almeria and secured an eighth place finish in the club’s first top flight season.

He was grabbed up by Valencia in 2008 where he finished third for three consecutive seasons between 2010-12. This was followed by a forgettable six month stint at Spatak Moscow.

Emery returned to Sevilla in January, 2013, to win a hat-trick of Europa leagues. Paris-Saint-Germain, a club obsessed with European success, thus, gave him the reins; Though he failed to lead the club to European glory, Emery still leaves for London with his head held high after winning a domestic treble.

Emery said in his first press conference, "I believe in having possession in the right way but also in believe in pressing well to regain lost possession”.

This was a departure from Wenger’s philosophy of expression with the ball. Emery believes "it is important for both heart and mind to connect with the players for proper transfer of both spirit and tactical analysis to the players. I'm at this level today only because of the people I have connected with.”

He was modulating his expression well and trying to put forward his message in a firm manner indicating he is a high intensity manager.

The only skepticism seen by many Arsenal fans is that his PSG reign was not seen as an outright success. PSG is a different club to Arsenal in more than one ways. At Parc des princes, there were huge players with egos and a demanding ownership that made the Basque change his usual tactics. It was a combination of circumstances with a lack of judgment along with some poor man management that led to Emery’s downfall in Paris. In North London he is sure to get a much receptive dressing room audience, players who will be ready to grasp new tactics, a new way of playing football and a new voice indeed.

Emery is a coach known for his sheer attention to minute details. His former player Joaquin once quipped, "Emery put on so many videos, I ran out of popcorn. He is obsessed by football, its practically an illness.”

Emery was supposedly given the job due to his player-by-player analysis of Arsenal’s squad. Any highlight reel of last season’s away fixtures will reveal the problems Arsenal are facing. Lack of robustness, concentration lapses, that typical sluggishness has become a mental, tactical and technical thing which needs to be addressed. New signings at the back are essential with Koscielny suspended by injury and Mertesacker retired. Emery’s history with the youth such as the likes of Rabiot and Kimpembe of PSG bodes well for development of many first team youngsters.

Above all Emery’s appointment marks a shift in the club model which Gazidis has been trying to install, a set up of shared responsibility not relying on one figurehead. Emery is likely to bring more organization and hunger to Arsenal. As the club’s mojo shifts from MerciArsene to WelcomeUnai, it is over to the new man in London to prove himself.

Story first published: Friday, May 25, 2018, 15:45 [IST]
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