How did Arsenal fall so far and what can they do to rebuild?

Arsenal fans show their support during Arsenal FC open training ahead of the match between Arsenal and Singapore during the 2015 Barclays Asia Trophy Tournament at the Sports Hub National Stadium on July 14, 2015 in Singapore. (July 13, 2015 - Source: Stanley Chou/Getty Images AsiaPac)

8-2

Chew gum, check. Glasses, check. Dark and heavy coat keeping the cold on lock and hiding the prestigious red tie, check! You know the rest. With Fergie on the touchline, his red troopers were fashionably running riot. They were subduing the other red, making a show of what used to be a formidable opponent. Nani, Rooney, Ashely Young, and even the soon to become a Gooner in Danny Welbeck had all gotten in on the act, embarrassing his future employers. I bet it felt like a Germany blitzkrieg for the visitors as Manchester United finished 8-2 winners on the day. That is 59 years after Arsenal had done the same to the Red Devils.

It all just started as another Premier League weekend, in need of a scoreline and 3 points up for grabs but the 8-2 loss to Manchester United wasn’t just a stain on a season record; but a scar forever etched in the hearts of the entire Arsenal community, both present, and future. It still remains until this very day.

But that’s not where it all started, all hell had broken loose a little earlier than that.

49-0

It actually didn’t start here either, but why not revisit some of the greatest footballing stories ever written. Before they were “the Inevitables”, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were once upon a time, “the Invincibles.” During the 2003/04 Premier League season, the Gunners finished an entire 38-games season unbeaten to clinch the coveted English title, even extending that record to 49 games until, as luck would have it, Manchester United ended that run in 2004. It was the perfect story, a young foreign manager in Arsene had been unpopularly handed the reins in 1996 at one of the most prestigious clubs in the country.

Ringing some changes around the whole managerial landscape that included diet, he took his time to really come through but eventually assembled an incredible force that literally no one could stop. Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Lauren, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg only to mention but a few were just a few of his headliners in an all-star line-up that tore up defences for fun. In a space of 9 years, the Frenchman amassed a total of 7 titles. Rain typically follows a drought, but not quite in the Arsenal world, they had it backwards. Here is where things started going south.

The cost of ambition

Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie celebrate after Arsenal won 7-1 during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers at Emirates Stadium on February 4, 2012 in London, England.

(Feb. 3, 2012 - Source: Paul Gilham/Getty Images Europe)

A dream that does not cost you, is seldom worth pursuing. Even that bit is also true for Arsenal. As more trophies clang in and ticket sales made the till ring, Arsenal’s famous hunting ground became smaller. The leadership, board, players and even fans perhaps felt it too. They were now envisioning the conquest of Europe and more world-wide influence. Replacing Highbury with a shiner and bigger Emirates seemed the right accessory to the vision. It was obviously going to cost money, but that was not all.

a. The great exodus

Without going so much into the construction project itself, the bottom line is that it demanded so much that Arsene Wenger’s player grooming skills came in handy. As the former Gunners manager once recalled, they had to sell their best players to make it work.

“People do not take a step back to look at what has happened.

"For me, the environment changed between 2006 and 2015, because we were under financial restrictions (the construction of the Emirates), at a time when a lot of money was injected into English football.

“We had less money, we had to sell our best players, whilst other teams were strengthening… sometimes with our players. But the expectations were exactly the same.

"To be completely honest, I have never worked more than during this period, between 2006 and 2015. I had signed a five-year contract because the banks required it whilst we were building a new stadium.

“We had absolutely no guarantees and I went to the end of my contract because I wanted to respect this challenge. But it was difficult. I am proud of what I have done.” – Arsene Wenger

Samir Nasri of Arsenal (L) is congratulated by manager Arsene Wenger as he scores their second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on November 8, 2008 in London, England.

(Nov. 8, 2008 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

It would have been easier if it was a typical business transaction of exchanging money for a product or service. Core players left the club for other pastures, not just any pastures but that of their bitter rivals. It was subtracting themselves and adding to a foe, or even better, selling their soul.

During this period, legendary club captains such as Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie left for Barcelona and Manchester United. The young boy who had grown to become a man and a legend at the club in Cesc Fabregas also followed Henry to the Spanish giants. In a dagger to the heart move, Togolese international in Emmanuel Adebayor switched allegiances to cross-town rivals Tottenham and even came back once to humiliate them by the most savage goal celebration of the decade. All of Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Bakary Sagna joined the blue-half of Manchester. Time will not permit us to mention the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain who departed the club for almost nothing to already strong rivals, amongst many others.

Some of these players’ contracts were left to run out and the sanctioning of their sales to rivals did little in showing the club hierarchy understood and respected the culture of the club.

b. Lots of misses and few hits

(L-R) Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal pose with the trophy after the FA Community Shield match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on August 10, 2014 in London, England.

(Aug. 9, 2014 - Source: Clive Mason/Getty Images Europe)

To make matters worse, even when the Emirates Stadium was finally furnished, the club made some questionable acquisitions of new players. Ones which never really popped but became mere shadows of legends who had left. We are talking of the likes of Olivier Giroud who eventually reached a century of goals for the club, but his shortcomings made fans miss captain van Persie even more. Yaya Sanogo, Takuma Asano, Kim Kallstrom, Mohamed Elneny, Emmanuel Frimpong, Nicklas Bendtner, Lucas Perez are some of the names either bought in or came through the academy that never really made an impact but rather became scapegoats and constant reminders of the despicable state of the club. One of the brighter lights of that generation became Santi Cazorla, the little magician who danced through opponents and dazzled fans, not forgetting Hector Bellerin who stormed out of Hale End Academy into the first team. The latter remains an integral part of the fabric of the club to this day.

c. The ugly sisters

As the Gunners were trying to sort out their bedroom issues from around 2006-15, their rivals in the Premier League were not folding their hands. Chelsea through billionaire Roman Abramovich had begun reaching deeper into their pockets, bringing world-class managers such as Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez to the club. They were also signing world-class players such as Fernando Torres and Drogba for hefty fees, all resulting in trophies. The law of replacement was in effect. The same applied for Manchester United who were still stable under Sir Alex Fergusson at least until 2013, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Liverpool who emerged as some of the big winners of the decade.

Just to put things into perspective, the mighty Gunners who had registered at least a 4th place finish and secured Champions League football for 19 consecutive seasons between 1998/99 to 2016/17, finished the decade having not achieved the same feat in the last 2 seasons of the 2010s.

d. The fighting parents

Stan Kroenke, Arsenal shareholder (R) and Chips Keswick, Arsenal chairman (L) are seen in the stands during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Burnley at Emirates Stadium on May 6, 2018 in London, England.

(May 5, 2018 - Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

Perhaps the sticking point to all their struggles could be argued as the lack of a steady vision from the club hierarchy which failed to steer the club off mediocrity. Some of the images that come to mind remind us of the non-alignment of two majority shareholders in Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov. The latter was believed to be more ambitious and endowed with loose pockets. Usmanov wanted to buy out Kroenke but eventually sold his stock to the former after several attempts, further charging the environment surrounding the Emirates.

e. Glass half-full or half-empty

By the book, most of Arsenal’s troubles were supposed to disappear after the construction of the shiny stadium that costed much more than money. Well, not quite. As Arsene Wenger once lamented in one of his reflections after leaving the club, “they had built a new stadium but left their soul at the old one.”

Performances oscillated over the years as the Frenchman tried to initiate a major rebuilt. During that period from the late 2000s, going into the 2010s, Arsenal endured a drought of 9 years without major silverware. That brand new shiny stadium almost seemed like an imposing figure of a curse until when they won the English FA Cup in the 2013/14 season, and then two more times after that.

“However, in a late twist of fortunes, Emery’s Red Army capitulated towards the end of the 2018/19 season. They secured just 4 points out of a possible 15 in their last 5 games and lost an elusive top 4 spot that was literally theirs to lose.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

A new genesis

As things charged up around the Emirates, an explosion was obviously inevitable. Stagnation became the general feeling amongst most of the Arsenal faithful. The fans had grown fairly used to more prestigious titles and codenames such as “the Invincibles,” chasing top 4 finishes and cowing under the whip of the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United with humungous scorelines such as 5-1, 6-2, 6-1 and 8-2 could not just cut it. The big dog had shelved off a few titles and pounds of pride to become the underdog. Change was inevitable.

With 21-years of service under his belt and having overseen it all, to many, the leadership of Arsene Wenger and Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis had become the symbol of failure. The two eventually left the club after initiating some changes that would form the bedrock of a hopeful future.

A fan bows to Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal after running onto the pitch the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and AFC Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on October 06, 2019 in London, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 5, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

22-0

After going through a series of candidates with a commanding fear of repeating Manchester United’s failures in replacing a long-serving manager swirling their minds, Gazidis and the Arsenal board eventually settled on Unai Emery after months of phone calls and interviews. It was actually hard to argue with the decision given the limited resources Arsenal had, to bring in more famous names. The Spaniard had worked water into wine stuff at Valencia, seeing the La Liga club through some of its darkest periods and bankruptcy. He had also won the UEFA Europa League three-consecutive times with Sevilla and earned himself a ticket into the cash-laden French Ligue 1’s Paris St Germain.

Emery preached change, intensity, and restoration of the club’s bond with its fans. All the right things. He even became a fan favorite in his early days for tactical tweaks that saw the Gunners go through a 22 match unbeaten run. In particular, the traveling fans chanted, “we’ve got our Arsenal back,” in their all entertaining 5-1 win at Fulham in October 2018.

However, in a late twist of fortunes, Emery’s Red Army capitulated towards the end of the 2018/19 season. They secured just 4 points out of a possible 15 in their last 5 games and lost an elusive top 4 spot that was literally theirs to lose. Not only that, but they also forfeited a return to Europe’s elite club competition by fashionably capitulating in the UEFA Europa League final to lose 4-1 to Chelsea. A debut season under new management with so much promise became a typical Arsenal season in a flash.

Going into the new season, they never recovered. Poorer results eventually led to the dismissal of the Spaniard just one and a half years after his appointment. It was time to go back to the drawing board.

Positive signings

Putting aside the Emery appointment that didn’t quite work out, there are a lot of positives that fans took and can take from his spell in charge. Firstly, the new management structure which now included a Head of Recruitment, Head of Football, Head Coach, Club Lawyer, and the Chief Executive has already done major surgeries that could reap huge benefits in the future. In past times, it was typically Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis who ran everything, the club manager and Chief Executive.

Unlike the periods of the likes of the aforementioned Sanogo, Asano and Lucas Perez; Arsenal’s new hierarchy has already brought in gems of footballing talent in the likes of Matteo Guendouzi and Gabriel Martinelli. Even the Hale End Academy seems rejuvenated with talented youth players such as Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson knocking on the door of a starting berth. Most impressively and rare to the Arsenal that everybody had grown used to, they arm strangled the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Napoli and Chelsea to bring in record transfers of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe. The former is already the new captain of the club and one of the most prolific strikers in the division.

Potential, something that was arguably present in the Gunners former times of stadium construction and the exodus of players, is very much palpable right now. It also seems like they’ve found the right person to organize the squad and craft a new pathway.

Sergio Busquets of Barcelona evades .Bukayo Saka of Arsenal during the Joan Gamper Trophy pre-season friendly match between FC Barcelona and Arsenal at Nou Camp on August 04, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Aug. 3, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

Mikel Arteta, the “reincarnation” of Arsene the managerial prodigy

Just like the appointment of Wenger back in 1996, Mikel Arteta’s return to the club as the Head Coach drew several skeptics but is slowly starting to feel like the correct one. At just 37-years of age with no experience managing any club, Arteta made the switch to the Emirates from being Pep Guardiola’s Assistant and Manchester City. Just 3 years after he had hung up his boots.

Blind faith, that what it was called and looked like. Especially given the fact that proven and highly experienced gaffers such as Carlo Ancelotti were available at the time of his appointment.

Well, it’s still too early to say that the Spaniard has already changed the direction of the club. What’s more certain is that he has brought the feel-good factor back to the squad, stamped his authority and communicated his vision of a playing style. Arteta is also working on repairing the bond between the club, fans and has already worked wonders in giving new opportunities to players such as Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka whose exits were imminent, often abused and scapegoated by fans. The kind of things that a rebuilding job will take at any club.

Results were still to improve at the time of the writing of this piece but there were enough reasons for the Arsenal faithful to start believing again.

Towards the promised land

Poetic justice says that anyone associated with Arsenal football club deserves a breather. A period of growth, better results, fun, challenging for the most important titles amongst others. But as we all know, this is not a perfect world nor some script in a book, 2020-30 might and might not still be their decade.

Only time will tell, but all hope is not lost.

Even without a Top 4 finish, Emery deserves some accolades

Au revoir Arsene

Fans hold up signs celebrating Arsene Wenger after the Premier League match between Huddersfield Town and Arsenal at John Smith's Stadium on May 13, 2018 in Huddersfield, England.

(May 12, 2018 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

That was the beginning, the conclusion of Arsenal’s match-made in heaven relationship with Arsene Wenger ushered in the new. The French manager had been on the touchline of the North London club for 22 years and even made the not so informed feel that the club was named after the gaffer’s first name. He had made and unleashed legends such as Thierry Henry, arguably the best play ever in the history of the Premier League who is still the leading scorer in the club’s history at 228 in all competitions; assembled the infamous 2003/04 Gunners squad that became immortal after earning the cloak of invincibility by finishing the entire 38 matches season unbeaten. Even more, the record extended to a remarkable 49 Premier League matches without a loss. What else? His efforts in the training ground and astuteness, compounded with the class of grooming young players ensured the club fetched high on the transfer market. Eventually raising enough funds to aid the construction of that London structure they now call, Emirates Stadium. His closing CV with club reads 3 Premier League titles, 7 FA Cups (the highest ever) and 7 Community Shields. A remarkable record but yet he was more famously known across the world for adorably and controversially staying at the club for a long time as well as being the personification of gentleman character. Remarks and send-off gifts received from some of football’s greatest players and managers as he left the Arsenal role said it all. We actually don’t have enough time and space on this piece to lay it all down but perhaps his own reaction to the praises summarises everything:

“I had a feeling a little bit to assist (life) at my own funeral. People speaking about you, how you were. That’s interesting, so I don’t need to die anymore. I know what is coming. Apart from the sense of humor I would like to thank everybody for being so nice to me. It has been difficult but as well as fantastic”

— Arsene Wenger, Former Arsenal Manager

The bottom line is that the 69 year-old left some pretty big shoes to fill for any kind of manager on the face of earth. It was obviously a rocket science project to find his successor who would build on his successes but more importantly address the challenges of the club that had become less competitive. Two Europa League appearances in Arsene’s final two years was one agreed upon standard that the club was on a downward spiral, especially after qualifying in nineteen successive UEFA Champions League seasons between 1998 and 2016/17, a record only surpassed by Real Madrid in Europe. Names of possible replacements were thrown in the hat and let us remind ourselves who they all were.

Many were called but one was chosen

Arsenal manager Unai Emery greets Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri during the Pre-season friendly International Champions Cup game between Arsenal and Chelsea at Aviva stadium on August 1, 2018 in Dublin, Ireland.

(July 31, 2018 - Source: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images Europe)

We won’t go through them all, but here is a refresher course of Arsenal’s process of appointing their new manager who would now be the head coach and take the club to the next chapter. The earliest reports suggested names like Ralf Rangnick, the current manager Bundesliga’s RB Leipzig who supposedly influenced Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp and PSG’s Thomas Tuchel’s high pressing football philosophy. Then there was the real shortlist of Juventus’ Massimiliano Allegri, Luis Enrique who won the treble with Barcelona in the 2014/15 season and former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti. Many commentators asserted that to be an ambitious list by former Chief Executive, Ivan Gazidis and his budget conscious Arsenal. True to form, they couldn’t get these for one reason or another. For instance, Luis Enrique reportedly required a yearly salary of £15m, which would have made him the second highest paid Premier League manager behind, Pep Guardiola. A more realistic list comprised of former Arsenal captains, Mikel Arteta, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira who are all pretty much at the infancy stage of their managerial careers. Even names like Jurgen Klopp’s assistant in Zeljko Buvac came into the conversation which left the more ambitious Arsenal fans disgruntled and cheated. Did I also mention Maurizio Sarri, the current Chelsea boss who had gone toe to toe with Juve in the race for the 2017/18 Italian Serie A title, doing more than just threaten to break their Scudetto winning streak since the 2011/12 season. In summary, it was a long list and process that lasted close to two months of phone calls, interviews and board meetings. They were looking for a value driven gaffer who would accept a dialled down salary from Arsenal Wenger’s, with keen interest of developing the current players, comfortable with a £50m starting transfer budget and most importantly maintain or improve Arsenal’s attacking style of play that became synonymous with the former manager. Quite a big ask for a club desperately seeking and going through change. Even more, the task of replacing a manager that had been at the helm of a club for over two decades has never been easier. The example of bitter rivals Manchester United who parted ways with the legendary Sir Alex Fergusson is available for all to see. All the attempted successors in David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and the special one, Jose Mourinho – spending over £500m in transfers were fiascos. Arsenal needed to get it right even with a tighter budget.

“Quite a bold statement of intent and purpose by the gaffer who barely knew the language as amazed onlookers by completing the entire press conference in the new language, though stammering his way through. The message was clear on plain tables, he was ready and not really short of the gentleman that Arsene Wenger is. ”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Now, when it all looked set that there were about to announce Mikel Arteta as their new Head Coach, the 37 year-old who was Pep Guardiola’s understudy and yet to lead any form of club in his short managerial career – the unexpected happened, much to the delight of Arsenal fans. The former PSG, Sevilla and Valencia coach popularly known for winning three consecutive Europa League titles with Sevilla, Unai Emery, was announced as the new Arsenal Head Coach. Looking at his pedigree of successfully doing a lot with few resources such as was the case in helping Valencia stay afloat in the La Liga during a period when the club couldn’t even foot their wage bill and obviously his silverware record with both Sevilla and PSG – Emery looked a great appointment. In fact, he had won 4 titles with PSG in just two years. The 47-year-old coach’s resume and display of character by picking the Arsenal job which many acclaimed gaffers had sidelined, spoke volumes. However, the task at hand was not at all sunshine and rainbows. To start with, the Spaniard had to start on his English before anything else.

“Good afternoon” world

Unai Emery manager of Arsenal looks on pre match press conference ahead of the International Champions Cup 2018 match between Arsenal v Paris Saint Germain on July 27, 2018 in Singapore.

(July 26, 2018 - Source: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Arsene Wenger had become popular with reporters for usually saying, “look here,” when responding to their journalistic requests. On the day of Emery’s first press conference as the Gunners boss, after being formally introduced by the then Chief Executive, Ivan Gazidis, he uttered the precious words, “Good afternoon,” in a strong Spanish accent. Quite a bold statement of intent and purpose by the gaffer who barely knew the language as amazed onlookers by completing the entire press conference in the new language, though stammering his way through. The message was clear on plain tables, he was ready and not really short of the gentleman that Arsene Wenger is. Even until now, Emery is known for firstly passing on the greeting before responding to questions, “Good morning”, “Good afternoon” or “Good evening” depending on the time of the day. He vowed to speak to each and every single Arsenal player individually as part of his settling plan, even waiting on those who had been on international duty at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Memories from his first training sessions with the Arsenal squad had the words intensity and demanding written all over them. He was reported to have banned fruit juice and even relaxed some of Arsene Wenger’s norms by allowing players to use mobile phones. He held double training sessions, made some big calls by allowing loyal servants of the club such as Jack Wilshere to leave for West Ham even as he worked on his English. It really was all good vibes as far as the training pitch was concerned but their rivals were never going to make it easy for Emery and his new look Gunners to attain their targets. Emery and Arsenal’s goals for the 2018/19 season were widely communicated, “make the club competitive once again” clearly by avoiding some of Arsene’s humiliating losses and more importantly bring back champions league football to the club by finishing in the top four of the English top flight league.

Minnows amongst the top six

Raheem Sterling of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his side's first goal with team mates during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on August 12, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

(Aug. 11, 2018 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are the ugly sisters of English football as of now. They are the so-called big six amongst the 20 Premier League teams that compete in the top flight who go at each for the title and only 4 UEFA Champions League qualification spots every season. At the onset of Emery’s Arsenal career, they were highly considered to be underdogs amongst the six, given they had finished 6th in the 2017/18 season and also the state of affairs at the club. Champions, Manchester City were in no doubt favourites to return the Premier League title with their obsessive manager Pep Guardiola and expensively assembled squad. Liverpool were tipped to be Rocky Balboa to City’s cause, who would be Ivan Drago considering their impressive recording breaking 2017/18 campaign where they bagged a 100 points. That was Liverpool coach, Jurgen Klopp’s analogy with regard to his club’s title chances. The Merseyside club was of course boosted by the acquisitions of £66.8 million goalkeeper in Alisson Becker from Roma, Virgil Van Dijk for £75 million (record fee for a defender) and the highly rated Naby Keita for £52.75 million from RB Leipzig. In fact, Naby Keita’s transfer fee was almost the equivalent of Arsenal’s entire transfer budget. Ultimately, with these two, it was a no contest for Arsenal.

Bitter North London rivals, Tottenham, did not make any summer signings as they budgeted on completing their £1 billion stadium but still looked a stronger side than the Gunners. Pochettino’s squad was fairly balanced from the defensive point safeguarded by the likes of Toby Alderweireld (a Manchester United target) and Jan Vertonghen as well as in the middle going up top with the likes of Christian Eriksen, Delle Alli and Harry Kane. Furthermore, the successes of Poch in bringing back champions league football back to Spurs was all the confidence Tottenham Hotspur needed whereas Arsenal has to adjust to a new manager for the first time in 22 years, with a defenceless squad that had become famous for shipping in goals such as was the case in their 10-2 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich in the champions league. Obviously Chelsea were dealing with a new managerial appointment of their own in Sarri but were tipped to adjust quicker given the nature of the club’s serial appointments. They were also boosted with acquisitions of a £57 million midfielder in Jorginho and the most expensive goalkeeper in world football, £71.6 million Kepa Arrizabalaga – virtually making them favorites to secure a top four spot ahead of Arsenal. Finally, it was clear that all was unwell in the Manchester United squad with Jose Mourinho’s mourning for a centre-back even after getting Fred for £52 million and wing back Diogo Dalot for £19.3 million. In truth, no one expected United to finish outside the top four especially after rivalling City for the title in the previous season with a similar squad and the same special Mourinho.

In summary, Emery and the Gunners were simply minnows in that top four race, few gave them a chance but the continuation of the story outlines a different proposition.

“This was not the end of it. The celebrated scouting genius, Sven Mislintat, who had masterminded the recruitment of Lucas Torreira, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Matteo Guendouzi, left his role, just less than two years into the Arsenal job.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Changes and even more changes

Arsene Wenger manager of Arsenal (R) and Ivan Gazidis, CEO of Arsenal (L) look on prior to the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Arsenal and Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium on September 28, 2011 in London, England.

(Sept. 27, 2011 - Source: Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)

As if their managerial change and ill-preparedness to compete with the rest of the top six as far as transfers are concerned, Unai Emery and Arsenal still had to deal with a few more roadblocks in their pursuit of champions league football.

Over 50% of the backroom staff including medical doctors followed Wenger out of the Arsenal door and more surprisingly, the Chief Executive who led the hiring of Emery. Ivan Gazidis who had been in charge of Arsenal for most of Wenger’s reign, left his own party for AC Milan and so did the adored billionaire Russian, Alisher Usmanov. Many Arsenal faithfuls had hoped that Mr. Usmanov would eventually assume majority ownership of the club from American Sports Entrepreneur, Stan Kroenke, whom they believe is less eager to spend on the club. Instead, the Russian surrendered his stake into the hands of the less adored Kroenke completing yet another set of roadblock in Arsenal and Unai Emery’s highway to the desired change.

This was not the end of it. The celebrated scouting genius, Sven Mislintat, who had masterminded the recruitment of Lucas Torreira, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Matteo Guendouzi, left his role, just less than two years into the Arsenal job. All this just gives even more context as to the seemingly impossible task on Emery’s plate to smooth sail the ship of change. How did he do though? Let’s find out.

The unbeaten run & players’ modern day Zorro

Unai Emery manager of Arsenal actions during training ahead of the International Champions Cup 2018 match between Arsenal v Paris Saint Germain on July 27, 2018 in Singapore.

(July 26, 2018 - Source: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images AsiaPac)

An impressive pre-season, decorated by the outstanding performance of midfield prodigy, Matteo Guendouzi and the tantalizing prospect of the combination of Lacazette, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang and Ozil (LMAO), preached hope. Two matches into the Premier League season, two losses to both Manchester City and Chelsea became a reality check. But what happened next couldn’t have been in the script. Unai led his charges to a 22-match unbeaten run in all competitions. The 22-year-old Nigerian, Alex Iwobi, international who had a mixed start to his career under Wenger suddenly earned the nickname, The Nigerian Messi. The new midfield acquisitions in Torreira and Guendouzi proved to be huge bargains as they strengthened the Arsenal spine which had been questioned since the departure of Alex Song. The two even started to bring the best out of the Swiss international, Granit Xhaka, whose fingerprints featured on most crime scenes that involved Arsenal conceding goals of their own accord. The 26-year-old has is slowly becoming a force to reckon with in the Arsenal setup though he still does have a few off days, here and there. Emery continued with his demanding attitude and even became a point of discussion in the January transfer window as he resorted to dropping the German artist and world cup winner, Mesut Ozil. The Arsenal head coach was undone, he appeared to have had a midas touch on all of the Gunners’ current crop of players even the long-forgotten Carl Jenkinson who has been on the fringes got some minutes under his belt. Time won’t permit me to mention the likes of Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding who had lost their heads during Wenger’s last few years, perhaps as a result of self-esteem issues but bounced back to become regulars in Emery’s team. Lacazette and the Gabonese international, Aubameyang are still soaring as perhaps the deadliest striking duo in the Premier League, even when they do not play together. The latter already has 18 goals to his name in his first full EPL season and very much on the toes of top scorers, Egypt’s Salah and Sergio Aguero who are both on 19 goals.

He’s like the Latin comic hero, Zorro, saving the day and redeeming North London again to yield to Arsenal’s causes.

The possible fairy-tale ending on the horizon

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celbrates with Matteo Guendouzi of Arsenal after he scores his sides third goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 21, 2018 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

Adding some few numbers to Emery’s case for a great job so far, we learn that Arsenal is the third most prolific team in the Premier League with a total of 66 goals in 33 outings, just behind title chasers, Manchester and Liverpool who are head and shoulders above the rest. He is clearly succeeding in retaining the attractive style of play he was hired to. Arsenal already have 66 points with 5 more matches to play, that is 3 more points than their total tally for the whole of last season. There are on course to reach the Europa League semi-finals, if they preserve their 2-0 advantage heading into the second leg against Napoli – a route that also presents an opportunity to get champions league football if they go ahead to win it. They are currently 4th on the Premier League table and considering their run—in of games, still to play Leicester, Wolves, Burnley, Crystal Palace, and Brighton, they have a better chance at landing the 3rd spot as opposed to 3 other top six rivals who still have to face teams above them on the log. The only statistic that will matter is Arsenal’s final position after match-day 38. Should that position be 3rd, taking into account all the circumstances that confounded Arsenal’ season, the Spaniard definitely deserves some accolades. The Gunners could slowly creep back into title conversations in the next few years with the right backing of its board in the transfer market.

What are your thoughts?

Is Lucas Torreira the answer to all of Arsenal’s Problems?

Ross Barkley of Chelsea and Lucas Torreira of Arsenal battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on August 18, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

(Aug. 17, 2018 - Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

Whenever something painful happens to him, my friend usually says, “I am used to painful things, I am an Arsenal fan.” He is not the only one, but many of Arsenal fans that have experienced the disappointment because of the humiliating losses, injuries and possibly inconsistent performances from players. But not all hope is lost, Arsenal has not only gotten a new manager, Unai Emery but they also signed Lucas Torreira in the summer transfer window of 2018. They say with new blood, comes new life. Is Lucas Torreira the new player that will bring revival to the Gunners?

After his splendid World Cup performance, it could not be doubted that the 22-year old would be an amazing addition to Arsenal.He was instrumental to leading the Uruguayan national team to quarter finals at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.  He was a critical component in the Los Charruas midfield, he has the ability to pass stop advances from the opponent and immediately begin attacks while also making the relevant and intelligent distributions of the ball with his mouth open to lead teammates in following the rhythm. Such traits are what the Arsenal midfield needs, as fans have often criticised it as the main driver of their losses. They have complained about sideway and sloppy passes by the likes of Xhaka and Torreira’s forward-looking yet unpredictable style seems to be what they had been yearning for since Gilberto Silva.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is challenged by Lucas Torreira of Uruguay during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 match between Uruguay and Portugal at Fisht Stadium on June 30, 2018 in Sochi, Russia.

(June 29, 2018 - Source: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe)

Isn’t it funny that his age is also the same as the number of years that Arsene Wenger spent at Arsenal. With young age comes new passion and willingness to learn as the whole career still lies ahead of the player. With all the changes happening at Arsenal as Emery attempts to elevate the team back to its initial glory, it is imperative for a player to be willing to learn. In this Daily Cannon post, the writer complained that Arsenal players play like they do not owe any respect or honour to their fans. A young player who will need the fans’ support for quite sometime is least likely to become complacent which is something that is really needed at Arsenal.

Torreira can also fit into the 4-2-3-1 formation which is Emery’s preferred formation. He has proven that he will complement players like Granit Xhaka in the midfield. Being a good player is one thing, but being compatible with the playing style of a team makes you a perfect fit for the team. Torreira already has this formation part taken care of and we expect to see a result of this claim in the upcoming games. We have seen glimpses when he came on as a substitute against Chelsea, West Ham United and most recently at Cardiff where he assisted Alexandre Lacazette’s first goal of the season.

However, there have been concerns that he is not tall enough to compete in the Premier League which is notorious for having tall and physical players. One thing for sure, is that we cannot extend his height but we have seen that players like N’golo Kante have shown us that height is not a prerequisite to playing well. You can still excel even when your head is not far off from the ground. The same argument stands for Torreira in Arsenal.

One man can definitely not be the absolute solution to a club’s complex problems. For Arsenal’s problems to be solved, they need a systematic approach to it, but having Torreira in the team is a step towards the right direction.

“He was a critical component in the Los Charruas midfield, he has the ability to stop advances from the opponent and immediately begin attacks while also making the relevant and intelligent distributions of the ball with his mouth open to lead teammates in following the rhythm.”

— Simiso Shabangu, FirstTouch Africa