Had this draft saved yesterday as I didn't want to look a fool today, but:
Holding might push Mustafi out, and would enable Sokratis to work more as a recovery defender, which might be where he excels. Not saying that gets us top four, but it might get us somewhere.
We've won the games I would have expected to win, and lost the ones I'd have expected to lose. That's with Emery as head coach, not what I would have expected of Wenger. Wenger was losing every away game, we were done for. Results-wise, the ship is being steadied, but the culture at the club is simply going to take time to change. The panic in defense, the lapses in concentration, these are systemic and will take at least a year to be rid of.
So, what's the point of Emery? He's completely overhauled our style of play from day one, he's gotten the results that I expected, if maybe not what I dreamt for, he's put Ozil in his place, he's not pissing too many people off and making it all about him, but rather, he's making it about the squad. He's giving players enough slack to either reinvent themselves and discover some form or to hang themselves. He knows his remit, and when things become more urgent, he'll have a body of performances to justify his decisions with in the future. It'll keep spirits up, and nobody will feel like they haven't been given a chance. At some point, though, heads will roll.
I've got a lot of time for him. He's a winner, he's shown humility, he's shown patience, he's shown passion and intensity, and he makes it about the football and about the team. It's refreshing, especially considering the current top managers/coaches in the PL. He's doing things in a way that I feel like I can be proud of, and that's important to me.
The system is more important than the players, this has been proven time and time again across just about every level of football. If the players don't fit, then they adapt. Getting the best out of individuals doesn't win you titles, but it might get you a golden boot. If that's what people want, I think they're going to be disappointed. Personally, I'm generally happy with how he's gone about it so far, but I sure could use a clean sheet next time out (we got it!).
Execution is a problem, and if Emery compromises too much we get stuck in a Wenger-esque twilight zone again. The sooner we replace Ramsey and Mustafi, the better. I wonder if Guendouzi can displace Xhaka, that'd be nice. Even more importantly, though, we need more options for those winger/inside forward roles, and a new left back.
I'm not sure how fruitful it is to bash Emery until we get a few windows to see how he and Sven might build this team, because right now he's squeezing blood from stone and it has been, to some extent, working. I think that's commendable.
