By Tom Manley
Arsenal have made a strong start to the season under new boss Unai Emery who replaced the beloved Arsene Wenger in the summer.
It was a roller coaster final season for Arsene which saw his side get to the Carabao Cup final and the Europa League semi finals, however the Gunners were defeated in both of these fixtures.
However, it appears life under Emery has started off pretty well for the Arsenal faithful. Some fantastic transfers and performances has given Emery a solid start in all competitions but mainly the Premier League.
Here, we take a look at how Arsene’s last season finished whilst compared to Emery’s start as the gaffer.
Arsenal couldn’t find that extra gear to obtain any silverware in Wenger’s 20th and last season in charge, however it is clear to see what went wrong for the Frenchman.
In Arsenal’s 38 league games, it didn’t go unnoticed that the Emirates turned in to a fortress for Arsenal with them winning the majority of their games at home. However, the performances on the road is where it went drastically wrong for the Gunners with them only picking up four wins from 19 away games.
Statistically, Arsenal were scoring goal after goal but defensively they just couldn’t get it right.
Scoring 74 goals in a Premier League season is some going, only Manchester City and Liverpool score more, and made Arsenal an attacking force to worry about. With Lacazette, Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang as the attacking four, it made it hard for defences to stop them scoring.
However, Arsenal’s defensive was the problem and it just couldn’t be perfected, perhaps a lack of leadership on the pitch led to the theatrical defensive displays away from home.
Last summer saw Unai Emery take over from Arsene Wenger after 20 years of ‘Wengerball’ and silverware. Straight from the word go, Emery made changes at the club by bringing in new players such as Sokratis and Torreira to help improve and stabilise the Arsenal midfield and defensive.
Since Emery’s arrival, Arsenal have already added something different to their game as after 12 games they already have seven wins and only the two losses.
Even better yet, Emery’s men haven’t tasted defeat since their 3-2 loss against Chelsea back in August and are enjoying an unbeaten run of 16 matches. Arsenal are currently sitting in fifth but are far behind from the rest of the pack, with more positive performances and results it could leave Arsenal in a great position.
Arsenal’s performances this season have the been the reason why they are closing in on the teams above them, with the side scoring 26 goals already this campaign.
Only Chelsea and Manchester City have more goals than the Gunners so far as the front four continue their dominating performances in front of goal. Defensively they are still rocky, conceding 15 goals in 12 games, but over time Emery will make a decision on what he wants from his defence.
The season is still young, and there is a long way to go but the start the side have made has been revitalising for the supporters and the player brought in have adapted to Premier League life quickly.
It is looking up for Arsenal and Emery’s reign has only just begun.