Unai Emery says he is torn over his priority this season

Unai Emery TEAMtalk

Unai Emery has admitted that he is torn over where his priorities lie in improving Arsenal this season.

The Spaniard arrived in the summer succeeding Arsene Wenger, knowing full well he had to make changes to an offensive-minded team moulded by Wenger.

And Emery has admitted that there is plenty to do at The Emirates.

“When a club changes manager, it is because they want something new,” he exclusively told Sky Sports. “The challenge is to identify the good things – the things you have to maintain – but also the things that you have to change and improve. Here, obviously, there were lots of things to change and improve.”

The 47-year-old former PSG boss has instilled a greater intensity to training at London Colney and he has introduced a style with the emphasis of playing out from his defence.

“The adaptation of the club and team is progressing in a positive way. In terms of getting into the Champions League and finishing in the top four, which is our main objective, it is true that we are not there right now. The competitive level is very high,” said Emery.

 

“But firstly, I believe we have time to achieve that this season. And secondly, we knew there were going to be difficulties in this process. The most important thing is to be aware that the difficulties will come, and at that moment still be able to make progress. That is the idea. The idea is to get Arsenal back to where the club deserves to be, but it needs time.

“After my experiences in Spain, in Russia and in France, I believe that here, people see football in a very distinct way.

“As well as the teams being more competitive and tougher, I believe the fans feel football from the heart. The question of whether you win, lose or draw is very important, but there is always a respect towards football beyond just the result.

“That means you can do a more progressive job, a job based on building from the bottom without only thinking about results, because sometimes, a result can hide solid foundations.

“As a manager, I have always put myself under the pressure of the necessity to win. You know that winning will allow you to either continue what you’re doing or to find another project. And you know that if you lose, they will take the project you already have away from you.

“But at Arsenal, it’s maybe the first time I feel that I have the support to build up from the bottom in order to get where we want to be. It allows us to work more for the long-term – or at least, ‘long-term’ in football terms. It supports the kind of work we want to do at this club.”

Emery still has plenty of work to do, having already conceded 32 goals from 22 games in the Premier League – more than in any of their seasons under Wenger.

 

“There are things we have managed to improve but there are other things that need more time, and defensive consistency is one of them,” said Emery. “We still have a lot of work to do there.”

Emery TEAMtalk

 

Asked if the problems were down to defensive organisation or the personnel, Emery said:  “I think it’s a bit of everything.

“When I arrived, we spoke about the Arsenal before Wenger, which was consistent in defence but didn’t have much brilliance in attack. In the transition under Wenger, it was about making the most of that defensive work and adding more quality in attack, which was when Arsenal were a winning team.

“But in the last few years it became different. It was a team which always had a great attack, with players who were very good technically, but with a very, very low level of defensive solidity.”

Emery has admitted the Gunners are in transition, while also suggesting that his sole focus is not solely to add defensive stability to his side.

“Now, we are in a transition where we are looking for a balance.

 

“I don’t want to lose all the good things about this team. There are times when defensively we have not been very solid, but we have still won because offensively we have created a lot of chances. So, at the moment, I am still leaning towards making sure the team doesn’t lose what it has. But yes, it’s true that we have to achieve greater defensive solidity,” added Emery.

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