Unai Emery’s job looks anything but safe after another toothless display from his side saw them drop points yet again. Arsenal drew 1-1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers in a very familiar feeling match despite a change in formation. This is a very worrying trend for the club.
Different Formation, Same Result for Arsenal
Switching the System?
Emery opted for a four-diamond-two formation against Wolves, a bit different from the variety of shapes his side has lined up in this season. Fans have seen a flat 4-4-2, a 4-3-3, a 4-2-3-1 and just about everything in between.
None of those formations got the desired results, so the idea of changing makes sense. However, the perceived shift in ideology was not to be as the Gunners fell back in to bad habits despite the ‘new system’.
They dominated possession with 58% but that didn’t translate into scoring chances. Wolves had more total shots (25) and more shots on target (eight) than Arsenal (10, four). The reasons are the same from last week against Crystal Palace.
Simply put, Emery is too indirect in his approach to football. He likes to keep the ball at all costs but, unlike his predecessor, he can’t seem to translate all that possession into scoring chances.
That means that the vast majority of the possession is in their own half. It also means that the attacking talents in the side see very little of the ball and really can’t take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Same Errors as Last Week
The lone Arsenal goal came through a familiar face, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The move was also somewhat familiar, specifically to last week against Palace.
In that match, it was two corners which yielded the pair of goals for the Gunners. The only difference this week is that the Arsenal goal came almost directly from a Calum Chambers throw in.
For a team that boasts the attacking talents of Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil, scoring from open play should come very naturally. However, they haven’t done it in three matches.
They are falling into a rut of meaningless possession which gets them only into semi-dangerous positions. Due to the quality of their strike force, they still get goals, but at some point that luck will run out.
Or perhaps it already has. Just like last week, Arsenal dropped points from a winning position against Wolves. Both matches were played at home as well, which should yield wins for a big club like the Gunners.
Change a Necessity
Switching the formation won’t help Arsenal to their top four dreams, neither will it save Emery’s job. The style and philosophy of the team has to change dramatically and quickly for any hope of Champions League football next season.
Should that not change, the ever-patient Arsenal executives will have to act. After all, the club invested heavily in the summer in order to mount a Champions League return and it is far too early in the season to completely give up on fourth place.
Yes, there is always the Europa League, but the Gunners have failed at winning the trophy in two consecutive attempts. For the club, sacking Unai Emery must look a more appealing option by the day.
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