3 Things Unai Emery Needs To Do Right Away At Arsenal

Arsenal have ended their 22-year long association with Arsene Wenger and are in the hunt for the right man to replace the Frenchman.

Ever since Wenger announced that he will be stepping down at the end of the season, a number of managers had been linked with one of the most sought-after managerial jobs in world football at the moment, with the likes of Diego Simeone, Massimiliano Allegri and Thomas Tuchel all reportedly in the race to be Arsenal's next manager.

Even the former Arsenal player, currently Pep Guardiola's deputy at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta, was reportedly in pole position to take over from Arsene. Today, however, Arsenal announced that the manager to take over at the helm of the North London side is the latest man to lose his job at Paris Saint-Germain, Unai Emery.

With that in mind, let's take a look at three things that the incoming manager needs to address at his new club:

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#3 That rotten defence

Close your eyes and seek divine intervention...

The first thing on the to-do list for anyone who comes into the job soon to be vacated by Arsene Wenger, which will now be Unai Emery, undoubtedly has to be addressing their defensive frailties. Arsenal have become a team which lacks defensive cohesiveness and purpose. The back-line seems out of its depth anytime it is asked to do its job.

A terrible campaign for the captain at center-back, Laurent Koscielny, who is a favourite with the faithful, seems to have taken an even grimmer turn as he left the pitch on a stretcher in the semi-final second leg of the Europa League against Atletico. A diagnosis confirmed that he has ruptured his Achilles, an injury which has similarly disrupted Santi Cazorla's career at the club.

Hector Bellerin similarly has had a forgettable season alongside the likes of Rob Holding and Calum Chambers. And Shkodran Mustafi has been the cream of the cr*p. Arsenal need to bring in someone to steady the ship at the back considering they won't have the Frenchman to rely on, at least at the beginning of the campaign.

#2 Selective culling of players

Calum Chambers has been terrible at the back for Arsenal, since forever.

Arsenal have one of the biggest squads in the League at the moment with over 40 players contracted at the club. But how many of them possess the quality to play in the Premier League, let alone pull on the red for Arsenal?

Arsenal have been carrying dead weight for way too many seasons now, and with the new manager coming in, it is time for some of the players, those not good enough, to move on to clubs that are better suited to their ability while Arsenal need to finally get back to creating a squad that breathes fear into their opponents.

Mohammed Elneny, Shkodran Mustafi, Calum chambers, Mohammed Elneny, Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi are all regular starters for the club and it is time that these players are replaced by some quality footballers. The aforementioned names, at best, if at all, deserve a spot on the bench and should not be under any circumstances be starting games for a club that claims to be contenders for the title.

#1 Performance against the bigger teams

Arsenal were humiliated 3-0 by Manchester City in the League Cup final

Arsenal have recently become a team that struggles to beat sides that are closest to them at the top of the Premier League table. They somehow manage to unlock defences, even when the minnows line-up with those two banks of four, but whenever they are asked to go toe-to-toe with a team that rivals their level of football, Arsenal go missing.

Arsenal have failed to pick up victories against the top six in crunch games, which has ultimately lead to their title challenge fizzling out, season after season. If you want to win the league, you need to go out and beat the Manchester Uniteds and Citys, the Chelseas and Liverpools, and as recent history has suggested, under Wenger, Arsenal have fallen short.

The new manager, on the other hand, has a reputation of slaying the big boys, when they come to town. Just ask Liverpool about that Europa League title they were all but assured of.

At PSG, Emery orchestrated one of the finest nights in the French club's history when they went on to beat Barcelona 4-0 in Paris. Having managed big names like Neymar and Cavani and Mbappe, we reckon the manager has enough insight into what it takes to get the best out of his players, in the biggest games of the season. Something Arsenal are direly in need of.