We all knew that this transition post AW was going to be difficult, and likely to get worse before it got better. Regardless of how shite the other contenders may have been this season the fact of the matter is that we are still in with 2 shots at reclaiming CL next season.
Put it another way = in the 6 years post SAF MU have been a yo-yo club in and out of top4/CL under 4 managers to date including OGS. As it stands we are likely to finish ahead of them.
We currently lack a football identity on the pitch because Emery hasn't had the pieces or time to do so. We know he prefers a 4231 like AW, yet this Frankenstein squad isn't built for anything other than a collective approach to anything and everything, and it lacks any genuine capability in any position or roles to allow it to play a different style. Even our undisputed quality in our front 3 are reliant upon the service they get to be effective. Everyone seems to be forgetting that we lost any headway following the triple season ending injuries starting at OT. Not just because we lost 2 starting players in defence, but also because we lost the ability to retain the 4231 shape to continue to build upon any progress to that point - essentially we had to hit the reset button again.
That's not to say that Emery is not without fault as his selections at times have suggested that he perhaps over thinks things or at least over estimates the squad capability - particularly in adversity. Yes this squad is better/stronger/more capable that last season under AW, but a big reason for that is that certain areas were addressed that AW refused to do so. Had AW still been manager I very much doubt we'd have Torreira at the club let alone Sokratis, and I also doubt that Leno would have been signed before Cech made any announcements about retiring.
I have seen recent articles suggesting/claiming that Emery is the primary target for Gazidis' rebuild at Milan, and that they are prepared to make serious funding available to the new manager. My concern is that with Emery only having a 2 season deal (with an option for a 3rd if all parties agree), and with reports of further restrictions re transfers regardless of CL or not, that the club may be making it easier for Emery to depart than to stay, even if by mutual consent.
That is not to say that I think Emery is not replaceable, but more so that we would be repeating the errors of MU by perpetuating the ongoing seasons of transitioning from one manager to the next. I agree with earlier comments that the club needs to be very clear about the sort of football it wants to play/see from the team, and then it must secure the manager/head coach and players in order to do so. To sign a manager and then not allow them to rebuild is essentially what Palace did with De Boer, and the danger is that we go too far the other way from the Total Control that AW had (not that I think we should ever tread that path again).
