Premier League 2018/19: Predicting the top 10 come May 2019

5th Place: Arsenal

Emery will take time to implant his ideas at Arsenal

After the culmination of the 2017-18 season, Arsene Wenger finally left his post as Arsenal manager. His successor, Unai Emery, hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts but in fairness to him, he was handed a tough round of fixtures at the start.

Since then, he has gotten his team on the winning track with victories against West Ham and Cardiff. Though the Gunners have been breath-taking going forward, their defensive deficiencies have resurfaced. The central defensive pairing of Sokratis and Mustafi has looked tentative while Bellerin has been woeful in defence.

However, the biggest cause of concern would be Cech’s lack of ball-playing ability. Cech is still an adept shot-stopper but his skills with the ball at his feet need improvement. If Emery wants to play out from the back, he needs Cech to improve or else he might lose his place to Leno.

The Gunners would be gutted to miss out on the Top 4 again but Emery should be given the time to implant his philosophy at the Emirates. A season is enough for Emery to find out the best way to utilise his resources at Arsenal and it will be a season before Emery can truly leave his mark on the Premier League.