Arsenal’s defensive game against Sheffield United was nothing more than a total joke. As much as an eyesore it was to watch them play that way, it was the Arsenal reality.
The fans are always happy at the start of the season with the team doing well until they start slipping, letting teams take bonus points off them. The match against Sheffield United might just be the beginning of the long loss for Arsenal but guess it is too early to decide that.
Arsenal dominated possession as usual but found it so hard to find the back of the net. A goal in the 30th minute from Lys Mousset gave Sheffield United the lead which they maintained till the end of the game.
Arsenal’s failure to hit back made it the second loss for the Gooners in the Premier League this season which puts them fifth on the table, nine games into the season. Even though they are just two points back from the Champions League spot, there is a worrying trend to see in the loss.
Scoring goals has not been an issue at all this season for the club but conceding them is. Across nine matches, Arsenal has scored 13 goals with an average of 1.44 goals per match and has conceded 12 goals with an average of 1.33 goals conceded per match out of which two errors led to goals. (Premier League Stat)
The result of the match against Sheffield United last night coupled with some other mistakes from Unai Emery, ranging from ineffective formation and sidelining players to test his squad strength has made fans start calling for his sack. We wonder if he would actually go into a third season with the club.
Jamie Carragher was one of the panelists on Monday Night Football last night, discussing Arsenal’s defensive record under Unai Emery (he has two clean sheets in 24 matches) and he shares his opinion as seen on Mirror UK.
“It’s unbelievable that. Two clean sheets for Arsenal. It’s hard to do that.”
“You sometimes play an away game and you get lucky and somehow you come away with a 0-0, that should happen more than two or three times in 24 even if you are awful. It’s hard to do two clean sheets in 24.”
Will Emery go into a third season?
The chances are high that he would. Going back through the club’s records with coaches, they’re not the type to dismiss a manager so quickly without giving him enough time to try. Maybe Arsene Wenger’s time in the club was different but somehow, it is not so different from what Emery is going through right now.
Whether the fans will be as patient with Emery as they were with Wenger is another question entirely. It was understandable that he was still trying to settle in during his first season with the club but we are way into his second season and it’s starting to get to the point fans start asking questions as they’ve already started doing on social media.
Right now, it is not where the club is on the Premier League table but seeing the same thing repeat itself all over again. We can admit going years without any trophy sucks and that is not what fans would want to continue going through.
Conclusion
With Emery still testing formation in his second season of managing the club, the chances of him going into a third season with the club are slim. Fans are getting impatient, and the match with Sheffield only compounded issues.
So far this season, the stats are of a club in a mess and it’s surprising to see the club struggle for creativity in the midfield when they have one of the best chance creators sitting on the bench. Emery might want to do the right thing or next season won’t be so sure for him in Arsenal.
