It’s alarming just how poor we’ve been of late and as good an opportunity as it seemed, we really couldn’t get back on track against Southampton. But depending on how you look at it, there could be a silver lining of sorts in the goings on of recent weeks, particularly if you’re a certain Spaniard. More on that later.
Recent history and betting stats shows us that the big six is no more and for Emery, that’s great news. Along with Spurs complete meltdown in recent weeks, the fact that so many teams are so close has taken the pressure off Emery somewhat.
But then Spurs went and sacked their manager and now have that whole ‘re-energised’ thing going on. Mourinho’s appointment saw them finally win a league match and, although it was against West Ham (lol), they may just kick on and pull a run of results together.
While this will annoy the hell out of us fans, it’s actually good news for Emery. In recent weeks, the spectra of the former Chelsea boss was starting to lurk and Emery was under increasing pressure to find results, as there was a lot of talk about Jose being primed to take over once the inevitable axe fell.
However, now that Mourinho is off the market, Emery can relax just a little, as there’s no ready-made replacement with a house in London waiting in the wings. What’s that you say? What about Pochettino? No chance. That man is on his way to Bayern, or he’ll hold out for a La Liga move to Madrid or Barca.
Taking the Arsenal job (if it was available) makes no sense to a man who is quite open about his desire to manage in Spain.
So, while it may irk us to see Spurs on a slight upward curve, Emery will be quite thankful for the temporary respite and the chance to pull his squad together again. Hopefully though, and we say this in all sincerity, Jose reverts to form and pulls the Spuds apart with his snide comments and alienation of players.
So, did Spurs just save Emery’s job? Well, for now it’s looking more like a stay of execution, but we’re hopeful that Unai can help us rediscover our form of last season sooner rather than later. Make your Christmas wishes early folks.
