It’s bad enough when results are not going your way. The fans are restless and every decision is scrutinized from every angle but when the press and media sense trouble, it intensifies to almost unmanageable levels. Who’d be a football manager ? The same has happened with Arsenal and their coach.
The price of failure these days means savage personal criticism which has reached diabolical and inhuman levels on social media for individual players, due to the unrealistic expectations that normally follows a lack of success.
It’s been unacceptable and intolerable on the whole, yet it’s symptomatic of the modern game along with the return of racism which FIFA and the other governing bodies have chosen to ignore other than the odd meaningless fine.
Arsenal are in the duldrums at present and performances have been extremely poor. That along with player problems and rumours of unrest behind the scenes isn’t exactly helping and it will get worse, unless Emery can find a winning formula and a streak of consistency that has been absent since the tail end of last season.
I’ve already examined all the reasons for these issues in great detail, so forgive me if I don’t go over them again.At this rate, it’s easier just to copy and paste them because nothing has changed.
Apart from the dissatisfied supporters, former players are joining forces to offer their opinions on Emery’s and Arsenal’s woes. The press conference on Friday before the clash with Wolves was something of a damp squib from the Spanish coach with little to stem the tide of pessimism or speculation and no updates on any pending action concerning Xhaka or how to arrest the team’s decline.
“It’s difficult for Arsenal fans watching on to see where things are heading. The optimism from when he took over has vanished.There’s no gameplan and now, no optimism “
That’s a fair assessment and Smith is an objective pundit that doesn’t seek notoriety by demanding unnecessary changes.
ALSO READ: Arsenal Fans Hopelessly Starved of Decent Performances are Accused of Being Unfair to Emery
Paul Merson was more brutal but truthful when he said
“What has improved? Really, what has improved? Not a lot, at all.”
Ray Parlour, the Romford Pele, expressed a personal dislike about his former team:
“What I don’t like about Arsenal is they don’t know how to see a game out.”
“They do enough to get in front and then suddenly you need that bit of leadership or someone in that team to put people into the right positions for 10 or 15 minutes to win the game.”
In terms of the Palace result, this comment rings true and it’s a problem that has followed Arsenal all season with them scoring just one more goal than they have conceded. Any side coming to the Emirates will get goals, it’s hardly a fortress and Arsenal’s fate is in the balance throughout every 90 minutes.
On the subject of Mesut Ozil, former Liverpool player, pundit, and long distance spitter, Jamie Carragher observed after the EFL game:
“I’m not Ozil’s biggest fan but you cannot tell me he is not good enough to get into this Arsenal team. He ran the game, his role in both goals was fantastic and he showed his class and composure”
Before adding:
“I said before the game that Ozil should run the game, he’s a World Cup winner playing against younger players. No one is doing anything consistent for Arsenal at the moment, not just Ozil. Arsenal are in a position where so many players are not at the top of their game that they almost have to put up with what Ozil doesn’t do.”
There will be more, with every bland performance, every loss or squandered point, Emery will once again find life difficult, especially if Arsenal don’t grab all three points against an energetic and organised Wolves.
