5 things that could define Unai Emery's era at Arsenal

The post-Arsene Wenger era is finally here. The Frenchman bid farewell to Arsenal ending a passionate association of 22 years. The departure was met with teary eyes, even by the staunchest Wenger-Out endorsers.

Now, Le Professeur is replaced at the helm by Unai Emery, who enhanced his attacking prowess with PSG and Sevilla, with whom he won three consecutive Europa league titles. He seems to be tailormade for the post-Wenger Arsenal, as he sustains a lot in common with Wenger, both on and off the ground.

With Emery taking charge at the Emirates, one can expect the club to have an upward spiral. It will not be inexpedient to say that despite all contributions Wenger made to the club, the progress of the club stagnated during the last couple of years. The fact that Arsenal failed to finish inside the top 4 further proves this point.

In spite of having won three out of the last five FA cups, Wenger-led Arsenal's performance in the EPL can be called shambolic with regards to the brand of football that the Emirates outfit was once famous for. The new boss needs to revamp the following areas Wenger failed to properly address if he needs to triumph at Arsenal.

Much needs to be done by the Spaniard to have a successful stint at the Emirates.

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#1 Build a leak-proof defence

Arsenal's defence needs repair

The pot which has holes hardly retains any water. This case can be applied to Arsenal's defence in the last few years.

Arsenal shipped in 94 goals in past two Premier League seasons, making them the team to concede most goals among the top six clubs. Furthermore, against the top-six, Arsenal emerged as the team to concede a whopping 19 goals last season! Tactical master play by the teams was at work for some of the goals, but the majority of them were the result of the Arsenal defenders shooting themselves in the foot.

Laurent Koscielny, touted as among the best in the league for the past decade, has been a shadow of his former self. His defence partner, Shkodran Mustafi was synonymous with ‘Mr. Inconsistent’. The defensive duo made a string of nervous errors, providing the opposing clubs with chances after chances to score goals.

Unai Emery has already made efforts to acknowledge this weakness by adding two experienced, determined, no-nonsense defenders - Stephan Lichtsteiner and Sokratis Papastathopoulos. The manner in which Lichsteiner managed to contain the dazzling Brazilian triangle of Neymar-Coutinho-Marcelo should provide high hopes to the Gooners worldwide.

Petr Cech's arrival delighted the Arsenal supporters, but the holder of the highest number of clean sheets in the Premier League has been far from the player who had been a huge part of what can be considered as Chelsea's golden generation.

The gem of a signing among the lot is the summation of the tireless Lucas Torreira. The way Torreira played as a defensive midfielder for Uruguay during the ongoing World Cup is enough to show that Arsenal might have its very own Kante or Casemiro. The former Sampdoria midfielder is what Arsenal lacked since the effervescent tough-tackling Patrick Vieira.

Apart from this, he has managed to keep the Arsenal faithful away from cribbing and mongering about spending. Well done Unai.

#2 Building the spine

Arsenal Training and Press Conference

Unai Emery told the media that he wants “five captains” in the team, and is already in search for “the best personalities”. Wenger's detractors have always attacked Wenger's mild approach to the players, and his inability to designate a captain who can lead through example, like Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas.

Finding stability in Arsenal's captaincy is like finding water in an oasis. Arsenal have been deemed ‘spineless’ by critics and fans alike, and it might be cumbersome to oppose the statement with facts. Arsenal players walking back to the touchline with heads hung low has been a similar sight for the last few seasons.

The players seemed to almost give up the moment they were one or two goals down. Unai Emery has decided that enough is enough! It is time for Arsenal to shut the critics up.

Emery's approach is exactly the need of the hour, as he is rebuilding the team with the responsibility of leadership vested in not just one player, but creating a sense of accountability in all the players.

#3 The Aubameyang-Lacazette conundrum

Both Aubameyang and Lacazette need to start for Arsenal

Unai Emery's conventional method is deploying a single striker in his much favoured (and successful) formation of 4-1-4-1. This formation supplements the idea of pressing-with-haste helped him reap benefits with both PSG and Sevilla. Unai Emery himself clarified that he is not intolerant to the tactical switch to the conventional 4-4-2, but it remains highly unlikely.

This would mean that a centre-forward would need to hog the byline by playing on the wings, if he needs to keep his place in the starting line-up. Last year, Alexandre Lacazette joined Arsenal to the delight of the Arsenal faithful who were looking for a proper striker to emulate the likes of Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry.

In January, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Arsenal making him Arsenal's most expensive signing and threatening Lacazette's place as a striker. Now, the need of the hour is for Emery to shape Arsenal’s attacking prowess with these two dynamic centre-forwards. Who knows, Emery might even have devised a plan to try out Mkhitaryan, Lacazette and Auba as Arsenal's very own Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani.

The treasure of having two absolute centre-forwards might induce nightmares in Unai Emery if he doesn't improvise a plan that could accommodate the hunger and desire of both players. The last thing Arsenal wants is a lack of unity among the players.

#4 'No’ to tenderness

Arsenal Training Session

Wenger has always protected his players in front of the media. It does shield the team against the pressure from the media and fans, but it also hinders the players to push for more. Unai Emery must be ruthless about discipline and shouldn't hesitate to drop players from the squad, whoever it may be, something Wenger was accused of not doing.

Patrick Vieira once told “Believing in players is one of Arsene’s greatest quality, but it is also his greatest weakness’.’ We have witnessed the underperforming players of the squad listed in the starting 11 time after time, drawing huge criticism even from the Arsenal fans. Unai Emery must not inherit this unwanted virtue from departing Frenchman.

Emery has evidently shown that tenderness is not a part of his professionalism, as he let the ‘Arsenal kid’ Jack Wilshere leave the North London outfit and join city rivals West Ham.

#5 Victory grows through harmony

Arsenal needs to sustain cohesiveness among the players and the support staffs

Arsenal’s famous Latin motto “Victoria Concordia Crescit” can be roughly translated to “Victory grows through harmony”. Arsenal players and staffs never lacked in fraternity towards teammates and colleagues, but a lion share of the credit for this must go to Arsene Wenger who dealt with the players and staffs well enough to save the cordial nature among players and staffs. Arsenal was more than a club. It was a home, a family.

But with new players and staffs coming in, the adhesive factor in the team might dip, and as the manager, Emery must be sensitive and concerned about this.

Emery has already banned players from using mobile phones during lunch time and has asked young players to dine with the senior squad. What better way to hone up your skills than delve into the rich experience brought in by the senior players!

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Do you think Unai Emery will be more successful than Arsene Wenger as a manager of Arsenal? Tell us in the comments below!