In May 2018, new Arsenal manager Unai Emery sat in front of the media and conducted his first press conference in English. He had only been learning the language a matter of weeks.
He impressed many just by being willing to put himself out there and do such a thing. The consensus was that this new Basque boss was here to show that kind of dogged determination and give Arsenal a much-needed steel that had dissipated over the final dregs of the Arsene Wenger years. Of course, it didn't quite work out that way.
But the Gunners can't escape the question of whether or not they gave Emery a fair crack at the canon – especially with his stellar record since, with Villarreal and Aston Villa. Was this the case of the wrong manager for this particular club? Or did Arsenal ill-equip a talented boss who should have done much more? The Emery years at the Emirates Stadium were an unusual time of tumult and scrutiny for all involved…
Summer 2018: Arsenal give Unai Emery £70m worth of signings
A managerial reign of 22 years, ends. Rather like Gareth Bale, multiple people end up replacing a figurehead at Arsenal, rather than one. It turns out that ‘One Arsene Wenger’ was a backroom structure, as much as a chorus from the fans.
Former Borussia Dortmund talent-spotter Sven Mislintat and ex-Barcelona chief Raul Sanlehhi both arrive in the winter before Wenger is relieved. Both are up to speed by the time Emery arrives. Mislintat adds another former BVB alumnus in Sokratis Papastathopoulos, having signed old finds, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, in January. Bernd Leno is signed despite very little desire for a new goalkeeper from fans, while the ageing Stephan Lichtsteiner joins on a free deal to prevent Hector Bellerin from running himself into the ground.
Arsenal's lack of a midfield dynamo is addressed, too, by signing Lucas Torreira for the present and Matteo Guendouzi for the future. It's this that fans are most encouraged by: the Gunners needed just four more wins throughout 2017/18 to qualify for the Champions League but were structureless in midfield, as Granit Xhaka, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey all job-shared playing DM behind Mesut Ozil.
It's easy to mock this window but this was at a time when the club were out of the Champions League for two seasons, unable to outmuscle rivals in the market. Even back in 2018, £70 million got you adequate depth with little change left for a packet of crisps. Believe it or not, Lichtsteiner on a free was hailed as sensible at the time.
August 2018: Back-to-back league defeats to open the season
Unai Emery's reign at the Emirates begins with a baptism of fire in north London, as Manchester City visit on Matchday 1. The candidate Emery beat to get the Gunners job – a certain Mikel Arteta – is sat in the opposite dugout with Pep Guardiola. And the Premier League still want us to believe these fixtures are randomly generated? Please.
Arsenal press narrowly and Petr Cech almost scoops the ball into his own net trying to get to grips with this “passing out from the back” lark. This is a brave new world for all involved. Arteta is visibly congratulated by his boss for the tactical tweak that sees City score their second, meanwhile. City win 2-0.
Chelsea are next up and once again, Emery watches his side fall two goals behind. The Gunners fight back, however, with two expertly weighted cutbacks, going into the break even. On 68 minutes, Gooners get another taste of a first in this new era, as Ozil is hooked with Arsenal desperately needing a goal. It's Chelsea who grab the winner with 10 minutes to play – some praise Emery for having the cojones to sub his sulky playmaker when Wenger never really did. Others are cheesed off that he didn't go for the jugular against another fresh manager in Maurizio Sarri, whose own back four are still gelling themselves.
It's a wake-up call – as if Gooners needed one – that this season was going to be a slog. The goal is simply to get back into the Champions League ASAP: and Emery makes inroads on that plan when his first win comes a week later against West Ham United at home.
Autumn 2018: An unbeaten run forms
Things are looking up for Emery's Arsenal, as a settled team starts to form. The Gunners win the following six after their first win of the season against West Ham, blending Emery's off-the-ball intensity to press and harry with traditional Wengerball fluidity: Ramsey's flick against Fulham and an Ozil-inspired beauty against Leicester City are two of the best team goals you'll see all season or any other.
Slowly but surely, Arsenal begin collecting points, going unbeaten in the autumn. Torreira partners Xhaka in midfield to finally complement the Swiss with the ball-winner he craved, while Ramsey and Ozil both vie to be the No.10 that Emery builds his team around. Bellerin is showing consistency with Lichtsteiner breathing down his neck to start, while Rob Holding comes in to provide a solid third centre-back option in a back three.
Bernd Leno has, by now, usurped Cech. Emery is fielding a clunky 4-2-3-1. It's kinda working so far.
November 2018: The Aaron Ramsey U-turn
Aaron Ramsey is well into the last year of his contract at Arsenal. The Welsh wonder has been at the club a decade and the reports are that he's been offered a new deal.
But then, out of the blue, the Gunners apparently withdraw that handshake. It's widely reported that Ramsey will now leave the club at the end of the season. Emery's role in the decision – or whether he had any say in the slightest – isn't revealed.
December 2018: A famous North London Derby win
If you're going to make a statement, it's always best to do it against rivals. The North London Derby rolls around in December and the Gunners come out on top against Tottenham in a frenetic encounter that threatens to boil over at the Emirates.
Eric Dier is handed a slice of karma when his heavy deflection gifts Emery's men a goal: if only he hadn't celebrated in front of the home fans earlier on and telling a furious Aaron Ramsey to “sit back on the bench”. It's Ramey who changes the game when he comes on, with Arsenal winning 4-2. Torreira scores the winner, rips his shirt off in delight and etches his name into fans' hearts.
Arsenal's switch to a back three is inspired. It's the kind of tactical versatility that fans can't remember seeing. The Emery era is up and running.
January 2019: Patchy form and further woe
Euphoria is often punctured by reality. Arsenal draw 2-2 at Manchester United, losing Holding to an ACL injury, before labouring to a 1-0 win at home to drop-botherers Huddersfield Town, on a freezing cold evening in which Emery fields two defensive midfielders and a back-five. You can never be too careful.
Arsenal's unbeaten run is capped at 14 by a 3-2 loss to Southampton. The north Londoners then pivot between excellence and awfulness: they thump Fulham and enact revenge on Chelsea, in between getting tonked by Liverpool and somehow losing 1-0 to a Samir Nasri-inspired West Ham. Yes, Nasri, at West Ham, assisting Declan Rice for a winner, in a fever dream too bizarre even for Premier League Years.
Emery's squad suffers another serious knee injury when Bellerin is ruled out for the season against Chelsea, a 39-year-old Lichtsteiner applying WD40 to his joints to step in. A teenage Bukayo Saka comes on against Fulham, meanwhile, for his Premier League debut, highlighting something encouraging that Emery continues from his predecessor: he's never afraid to play the kids.
January 2019: The Gunners move heaven and earth to sign… Denis Suarez
Tensions between Mesut Ozil and his manager are fraught, if you believe the back pages. Arsenal aren't exactly monied right now, either.
Eventually, someone at Arsenal identifies Barcelona star Denis Suarez as the perfect short-term fix, as someone creative and hard-working to sit in the Venn diagram intersection between Ozil and Ramsey. Raul Sanlehhi exhausts all of his Camp Nou contacts to bring the Spaniard in on a loan move that can help Emery snatch top four.
All in all, Suarez plays for 95 minutes across six matches during the rest of the season. Emery ends up patching things up with Ozil, see, switching from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-1-2, using the German playmaker behind Auba and Laca in attack.
Poor Suarez is relegated to a category of Arsenal flop alongside the likes of Amaury Bischoff and Vito Mannone: not even bad enough to be memorable. Truly, the worst of fates.
February 2019: Arsenal take the BATE, as Ramsey's next move is revealed
Remember Alexander Hleb? He played for Arsenal a decade prior to this game – and yet here he was, in his sixth stint with hometown club, BATE Borisov, at the age of 38, beating the Gunners in the Europa League.
A 1-0 loss away in Belarus was a low to file alongside losing to Graham Potter's Ostersunds a year prior – and not a good look for Europa specialist Unai Emery. Question marks were still being raised over his heavily cautious style of play, with his now-customary back five fielded against BATE.
Arsenal won the home leg 3-0 to ease concerns. Meanwhile, Ramsey signing a pre-contract with Juventus was reported around this time.
Match 2019: Everything's looking rosier
Following an inevitable 3-1 loss at home to City, Arsenal begin looking a lot less like a basketcase and put together another strong run of form. Aaron Ramsey brings some sparkling form to the table as Emery's boys string five wins and a draw from their next six games.
It's not exactly the Wengerball of old: the general tactic seems to be to get the ball out to left-back Sead Kolasinac, who will whip in a cut-back for Laca or Auba. But at least Arsenal are looking like a shoo-in for the top four right now, and still going strong in Europe. A comfortable home win over Manchester United and another Ramsey-inspired, hard-fought point away at Spurs show that things are beginning to click.
April 2019: Top four fades away – and so does Ramsey's Arsenal career
Arsenal's second leg away to Napoli in the Europa is still one of the most bizarre fixtures in the post-Wenger era. The Gunners won the home leg 2-0 in N5 – so by the time Lacazette tucked a free-kick away in the first half, the tie was all but over. Thanks, away goals.
Yet the mood following victory in a muted cauldron is one of anguish, with Ramsey trudging off in the second half, for the last time in an Arsenal shirt (and red shorts, which by the way, still look wrong). The No.8 has established himself as Arsenal's most important player – yet the Gunners are letting him go for free and will lose him for the run-in.
Arsenal go into a home game against Crystal Palace needing just a handful of points left to get top four. Unfortunately, Shkodran Mustafi starts.
Mustafi come on 🙈 defend it 😵April 21, 2019
The German unsuccessfully shields the ball from Wilf Zaha, who slots home Palace's second and is later booked for diving in his own half, while forgotten man Karl Jenkinson starts at right wing-back in the absence of Lichtsteiner, Bellerin and now Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The Gunners then proceed to lose on two trips to the Midlands at Wolves and Leicester, needing a win against Brighton at home to have any chance of securing passage back to the Champions League.
Arsenal draw 1-1 with the Seagulls. They must now beat Chelsea in the final of the Europa League.
May 2019: The nightmare of Baku
Arsenal do not beat Chelsea in the final of the Europa League. In fact, they are beaten 4-1.
The occasion is marred by several more major talking points. Henrikh Mkhitaryan announces he will not to travel to Baku, Azerbaijan, as natives of Armenia are forbidden entry to the country without prior formal authorisation, due to a conflict between the two nations. Petr Cech, meanwhile – who's been keeping net for the Gunners in Europe this season – is confirmed to be heading to Chelsea after the match, in a directorial role, as he's retiring from playing.
Still, Emery starts Cech and Olivier Giroud nets twice against the club he left a little over a year ago. Arsenal look devoid of ideas and once more, Ozil is substituted to fanfare, the German trudging off sulkily instead of getting a move on.
The final remains the only Europa League showpiece that Unai Emery has ever lost. Despite winning the trophy a record four times, his aggregate score across all five finals sits at 8-8. Oh, Arsenal.
Summer 2019: Statements of intent are made in the market
Things need to change but perhaps unusually, there's little ferocity aimed at the manager after Arsenal stumbled to fifth and were thrashed by London rivals in a major final. Instead, Gunners fans focus their annoyance at the ownership, with the social media hashtag “#WeCareDoYou” targeted at Stan Kroenke.
In fairness, Kroenke responds in the best possible way, smashing Arsenal's transfer record for highly-rated Lille star, Nicolas Pepe. Youngsters Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba are signed for the future, while Kieran Tierney comes in as a quality left-back and Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos promises to be a classy Ramsey replacement. Business is looking a lot stronger than last summer.
Former Invincibles are involved, too. Edu Gaspar returns to the club as a director – and is said to be key to Martinelli's signing – while Freddie Ljungberg, who worked in the youth setup last season, joins Emery's staffing team to help integrate more young talents in the first-team. All very positive.
It's not all sunshine, however. Club captain Laurent Koscielny goes on strike after being refused a move he was apparently promised last summer, as Emery can't afford to let a centre-back of his calibre leave. He eventually wins the standoff and is announced at Bordeaux by taking off his Arsenal jersey to reveal the shirt of his new employers. Some Gooners feel disrespected, followed by concerned, as divisive Chelsea star David Luiz replaces the outgoing Frenchman. For some, he never quite shakes the accusations of being a sleeper agent.
August 2019: A promising start to the season
Following accusations of being too defensive last term, Unai Emery has ditched his controversial 3-4-1-2. Arsenal line up with a back four away to Newcastle United and win 1-0 before Ceballos puts on a masterclass at home to Burnley in a 3-1 win.
Liverpool deliver Arsenal's first loss of the season three games in, with Emery once again resisting the urge to revert to a back three. Pepe dribbles past Virgil van Dijk, though, suggesting that he might actually change this team's attack (the bar's not been particularly high for a while, OK?).
Arsenal still don't have a captain at this point. Emery will sort that out next month, apparently.
September 2019: Two tiring 2-2s
Arsenal take a couple of steps forward before an almighty two steps back. Instead of attacking Tottenham with the same bluster that they did last season, the Gunners invite Spurs onto them – and sure enough, Granit Xhaka gives away a penalty, as the old enemy go 2-0 up at half-time.
Emery watches his team claw back a 2-2 draw, to much dismay. Worse still, Jose Mourinho summises the problems eloquently in the Sky studio and some fans call for him to replace Emery. Things must be getting desperate.
A week later, Arsenal repeat the same mistakes against Watford, this time going two goals up before inviting pressure from the Hornets. Matteo Guendouzi is subbed and taunts opposing fans by making a ‘2-1’ gesture with his fingers – so naturally, Arsenal concede 31 shots and end up dropping another two points.
In other news, the squad have voted Xhaka club captain. Aubameyang is a leftfield choice as deputy but has a clique of French stars who look up to him in the group.
October 2019: The Granit Xhaka debacle
Arsenal go two goals up against Crystal Palace. Arsenal then proceed to invite pressure… and concede two goals to Crystal Palace.
The match is remembered for the one incident, however – much to the irritation of Man of the Match, Sokratis, we imagine. Captain Xhaka is hooked to cheers from the Emirates faithful, who don't believe the Swiss has been playing well. The cheers turn to jeers though, when he doesn't leave the pitch particularly sharpish, upsetting Xhaka, who cups his ear, throws the armband on the floor and swears at fans as he takes off down the tunnel.
In a statement after the game, Xhaka doesn't actually apologise but explains his actions, citing death threats made against his wife and daughter. This is a critical moment for the manager. Emery takes the big call to strip Xhaka of the captaincy.
It's a bold decision, with Emery's own players having voted the midfielder as their leader mere weeks prior. While Emery has appeased a section of the fanbase by handing the armband onto Aubameyang, he may have alienated some of his group with this choice – certainly Xhaka himself, who now looks like he'll never play for the club ever again.
November 2019: Daichi Kamada ends the Unai Emery era
Xhaka drops out of the squad entirely. Defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira is now playing as a No.10 to try and counterpress as high as possible and looking less than thrilled about it. Mesut Ozil is reintegrated after being dropped at the start of the season. The back three returns, the dearth of quality candidates to fill it.
Arsenal follow the 2-2 against Palace with another home draw against Wolves and a draw in Europe away at Vitoria, before being turned over away at Leicester. The Gunners snatch a point in the dying embers against Southampton – but it's barely celebrated by a fed-up Emirates.
Xhaka is brought back to face Eintracht Frankfurt at home. Arsenal line up with Saka and Martinelli supporting Aubameyang, as David Luiz limps off in the first half hour. Despite taking the lead, however, the second half is a picture of the entire season, as the home side sit back and invite Adi Hutter's side to control the game.
Emery's tenure ends with a whimper, as Daichi Kamada strikes twice to sink the Gunners. The manager leaves with a touching statement of how honoured he's been to manage the Gunners, taking almost the entirety of his staff with him, as Freddie Ljungberg is put in caretaker charge: Per Mertesacker steps up from his role as the head of the academy to assist on the touchline.
December 2019 onwards: Things improve post-Emery – but it becomes clear that Arsenal's problems run deep
When Emery took over from Wenger, it looked like finally, Arsenal were to be given real, proper structure. The reality looked a little different.
In a season and a half in north London, Unai Emery never did find a single formation he favoured. He shifted between defensive structures, fielding full-backs, then wing-backs then back again, opting for one or both of Lacazette and Aubameyang depending on whether he wanted a double-pivot or three-man midfield. In December of 2018 away to Brighton, Alex Iwobi would come on as a sub and visibly ask what formation the side was playing. It was emblematic of the time.
Emery can't be blamed too much for inheriting an utterly mismatched squad, who were blessed in some positions and deficient in others – but he didn't exactly play to the strengths of those he had. He spoke of preferring to win 5-4 than 1-0 when he got the job, yet the Basque seemed to want to play out from the back or even sit back and let the opposition attack – before hitting the space behind with a quick transition. Torreira, Xhaka, Bellerin, Kolasinac and Ramsey all thrived when Emery went front-foot, while Aubameyang was perhaps in his pomp back then. Few others found consistency among all the tactical changes and with all the holes elsewhere, though.
Emery's tenure was undermined by major conflicts, too, giving way to a narrative that he couldn't handle egos. Unfair? Perhaps – but even he may now admit he didn't handle big names particularly well in north London. Xhaka losing the captaincy ultimately broke the camel's back, yet constant questions about Mesut Ozil's role within the group were a thorn in the side of a terribly un-creative side, making the German a necessary evil for Emery.
Arsenal would finish eighth in 2019/20 and win an FA Cup under successor Mikel Arteta. A regression with a silver lining, as the club embarked on a new chapter.
More Arsenal stories
Arsenal are primed to complete the signing of Mikel Merino, following Liverpool withdrawing from the race to sign his clubmate, Martin Zubimendi. Negotiations with Real Sociedad have begun, with an agreement in place with the player. Another target, Wojciech Szczesny, has had his contract terminated at Juventus, while Alan Shearer has tipped Arsenal to beat Manchester City to the Premier League title, so long as they can make one key signing.
In other news, one former Chelsea and Arsenal star has revealed all about working with Wenger and Mourinho. He told FFT, too, that when he played with Arteta, you could see he would definitely be a coach.
