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After a disappointing draw with Crystal Palace in which Arsenal gave up a two-goal lead, Unai Emery finds himself under increasing pressure. The Gunners now find themselves 5th, four points adrift of Chelsea and Leicester and only one point above Crystal Palace in 6th.
Their disappointing start to the season is certainly no fluke either. Arsenal have by far the worst goal difference in the top 5 with +1. By contrast, Chelsea have +7, Leicester +17, Liverpool +15 and finally, Manchester City have a monstrous +23.
In fact, Arsenal's goal difference is worse than a struggling Manchester United side, who have +3 despite sitting 7th in the table.
The main reason for Arsenal's poor start to the season is undoubtedly their porous defence. The 14 goals they've already conceded this season is the joint second-worst in the top half of the table, alongside West Ham, and only topped by Chelsea who have conceded 16 (the worst in the top half).
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It's not hard to understand why either, with most individual members of Arsenal's backline facing individual criticism. But the manager still has to take the blame for this, as the lack of structure and his insistence on playing out from the back are proving costly.
Perhaps more worrying are the problems at the other end of the pitch. Arsenal's 15 goals scored is also the worst in the top 5. This tally is the same as that of 15th place Aston Villa and one worse than 11th placed Tottenham, who are in the midst of a full-blown crisis.
Given that Emery has a wealth of attacking talent in the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and the extremely promising Gabriel Martinelli, the manager is surely guilty of not utilising his attacking options properly.
While Emery is certainly not an unproven manager, most of his success has come in cup competitions. The unquestionable highlight of Emery's career is winning three consecutive Europa Leagues with Sevilla, a feat never before accomplished. But even then, Emery never finished in the top 4; Sevilla finished 5th twice and 7th once.
His time at PSG was also questionable with regard to the league. While Emery did win the league once in his two seasons in Paris, he was the manager of the only PSG side to not win the league since the 2011-12 season.
Given Emery is seemingly more suited to cup competitions, perhaps he isn't the man Arsenal need if they're to once again establish themselves as top 4 regulars. Against that background, here are three managers that could replace him:
#3 Rafa Benítez
With Rafa Benítez currently managing in China, a return to a top Premier League side would surely be tempting. As his time at Newcastle shows, Benítez's strict and disciplined tactics can make a team solid even when the defenders lack individual quality. This makes him the ideal candidate to resolve Arsenal's defensive woes.
Benítez is a tactically versatile manager, often changing systems to compensate for defects in his team or for exploiting opponent's weaknesses. This is something Arsenal will desperately need to cover for their defensive frailties and unbalanced attacking line.
The Spaniard typically lines up in a 4-2-3-1 with a floating 10, which could be particularly useful if Mesut Özil is to be reintroduced to the side.
Benítez of course carries with him plenty of Premier League experience, having managed Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle. He would, therefore, be a relatively safe pick if a slightly underwhelming one.
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#2 Massimiliano Allegri
Massimiliano Allegri is the most successful manager in Juventus' history, boasting the highest points per game ratio. Allegri guided Juventus to five straight league titles, alongside four Italian cups and two Champions League finals.
Almost all of this was in a pre-Cristiano Ronaldo era, where Juve's spending was more modest and Allegri was left to cover the gaps caused by big names such as Paul Pogba, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal leaving.
Allegri achieved most of his success playing a pragmatic, defense-first style, best shown by the fact that Juventus had the best defensive record in the league in all of Allegri's seasons. Juve never conceded more than 27 league goals in any season under him, with their best tally coming in the 2015-16 season where they conceded just 20 throughout the season.
Allegri has used a variety of systems over the years, from 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 to 3-5-2. A 3 at the back formation could be his best option; the additional centre back would help cover up Arsenal's fragile defence. That would also mean playing higher up wing-backs, something that would suit Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney.
Allegri has also hinted at an eagerness to manage in the Premier League, recently admitting he was taking English lessons.
#3 José Mourinho
A man synonymous with defensive solidity, Jose Mourinho would perhaps be best served to fix Arsenal's defence.
Mourinho's 2004-05 Chelsea side still hold the record for the least goals conceded in the Premier League, with 15. Until his final season at Chelsea, Mourinho had never finished below third in any league he'd managed in, including time spent at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, then Chelsea again. This is something that would be invaluable to Arsenal as they look to return to the top 4 after having not finished there in the last three seasons.
Speculation of Mourinho taking the helm at Arsenal will no doubt have soared with the Portuguese spotted at the Emirates during their Europa League clash with Vitoria.
Mourinho has mainly lined up with a 4-3-2-1 counter-attacking system in his career. This worked to great effect at Real Madrid, with Özil at 10. Reuniting this partnership could be the key to getting Arsenal back on track.
Mourinho has a point to prove. He's already revealed he's turned down a host of jobs from lesser leagues such as China and Portugal, and he wants to show the world he can still cut it at the very top. And a motivated Mourinho is a dangerous Mourinho.
With the Arsenal players regularly having their attitude brought into question and Emery facing criticism for being too lenient, perhaps Mourinho's disciplined, win-at-all-costs mentality is exactly what is needed.
