Unai Emery says Arsenal should have had a penalty and didn’t deserve to lose to Sheffield United despite another eyesore of performance away from home, and a 1-0 defeat.
The Gunners dominated possession for long periods and probably should have been awarded a spot kick for a pull on Sokratis’ shirt but unable to find a cutting edge in the final third they paid the price for poor defending as Lys Mousset did the damage from close range on the half-hour mark.
After the game, the Spaniard faced the Sky Sports cameras. Here’s what he had to say.
On the performance…
We can speak about the match in two situations. One is the result and [the other] is how we managed that 90 minutes. I think we didn’t deserve to lose and also I think we conceded a lot of corners in the first half to them and they scored the goal in one action. But it can happen. Above all, it was to improve in not conceding those metres on the pitch and to get very easy to our box for that corner. Another [thing], when we have the opportunity to attack we created more chances than them but didn’t score today. There was a clear chance for Pepe but really we didn’t deserve to lose. We know here, we face a team here who concede less goals in the Premier League than Liverpool, we know it’s going to be difficult when they score first. We tried in the second half because we created three very good chances to score but at the end they defended well also.
On whether he’s disappointed at the way Sheffield United scored…
Yes, he [goalscorer Mousset] was with our keeper and also we had three players free in that space to attack the ball. Really, for example we can speak about two actions that were relevant on the match. They give us the key moment, one is that goal. The other is a corner for us and a very clear penalty [for a shirt pull] on Sokratis]. It’s very clear.
On Saka getting booked in the first half…
It’s an amazing individual action where he drives into the box dribbling. Then, I don’t know if it’s a penalty or not. Ok, no penalty, fine. I think a yellow card for that action is very hard. Really, when we are working with VAR the penalty against Sokratis, this is for review in my point of view. This is the action to review. It’s clear. It’s clear that he earned the time to head the ball and then it’s a penalty. We need to accept it and continue.
On giving credit to Sheffield United…
I think we didn’t deserve to lose. Then, we can speak about things to improve. We can speak about the metres on the pitch used to create that corner [they scored from] offensively. Then, in the second half, we were losing 1-0, we tried and controlled better and we didn’t lose transitions, we defended well. In attacking moments, they were with a lot of players in the box. It was difficult to achieve our attacks in a small space. We created three or four chances and really we had the chances to score. We were speaking in the dressing room about the importance of scoring a goal. If we score one, we can control better and take more strong moments.
On whether he’s concerned about his side’s away form…
We have challenges in each match. For example, tonight was a challenge to get three points and also to be consistent and keep improving things and doing our way. We are playing with some young players who are taking experience, also to win is the most important thing. We are going to analyse the match. really the result is one thing but also we can analyse something positive after that match. The next challenge is Vitoria on Thursday and then another challenge against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Oh come on! Apart from the Pepe chance, I don’t remember any other great chance we created. We were horrid.
It’s quite clear things aren’t gonna improve under this guy. What’s the point dragging it out? If Allegri is willing to come, big if, go out and get him!
For long I doubted arseblog and their motives behind becoming anti-Emery. I always felt that Emery will take us to those glory days considering the exciting high press in his first few games in-charge. Now all those have disappeared like chaff in the wind. He he become totally clueless and the first half of the last season’s goodwill has withered away. The tactical blueprint seems to have been fushed down in the toilet sink; perhaps the manager has lost faith in himself. I thought he is an upgraded version of Klopp with better tactical nous, but now he is looking… Read more »
I really disrespectfully disagree with characterizing Blogs or any of the other regular
contributors as Anti-Emery rather than entirely reasonably, and with balanced nuance, being concerned and raising obvious critical questions, but far from declaring conclusions or condemnations?
And sadly, as you do observe, this match from start to finish validates why many have been doubting Emery and frustrated with many things while still holding final judgements.
Theres no nuance in romanticizing Ljungberg as the inevitable successor, thats just wrong.
Emery must go, but I fear what will follow.
Comments like this is why Wenger long out stayed his welcome. Make that change
Do you not wonder why he started with such intent(it seemed that Arsenal were BACK )and now seems to have lost it? He cannot have just got bad at his job. There seem to me to be external influences that has changed Emery. For me he is not the same person, at least his body language has changed drastically, maybe just my imagination?
He’s too nervous and seems like he lacks resolute confidence in what he does, which leads to him making all to safe and conservative decisions. Great decision to play Willock – terrible decision to play him with Xhaka still in there, terrible decision to take him off (not sure why we did that, we looked more dangerous in the first half) and this time the subs were all desperation instead of having a tactical shift in mind (get on Laca and Ceballos and we’ll probably get a goal from somewhere). It’s just always with the safe easiest decisions (which is… Read more »
I think the pressure of having his job on the line is contributing significantly to how timid we are playing. Zero risk, safe and with the eternal handbrake.
For long I doubted arseblog and their motives behind becoming anti-Emery………
I thought that a lot of bloggers had abandoned critical analysis in favour of giving this guy time because he is new.
Time or not emery decisions have had me questioning him from the beginning and people should be able to critic the job he done so far based on what he promised and he has no where near lived up to expectations.
Now please don’t think i am just jumping on the band wagon here. I said from day one that Emery was NOT the right choice of manager. I was shouted down and told give the guy a chance. He has proved that he cannot manage Arsenal he is like a rabbit stuck in the headlights of an onrushing car. Yes I wanted Michel Arteta, mainly because of who he has played under and coached along side. Surely Michel would have done a better job that this clown
Methinks Allegri is in the queue for the Madrid job, along with Mou, Poch etc
I’m number one supporter for waiting until the end of season. But this dross…. nah it’s too much. It’s not just a loss. this is a template for our away games under Emery. It does not give me confidence of future improvement in the upcoming away games. We had so much of the ball and the pitch. It was a good opportunity to showcase our abilities and whatever we’re doing in the training ground. And for it to turn up like this is… unacceptable. There is always a risk in sacking a manager mid-season. I don’t see it any more.… Read more »
I was also keen to let Emery go the whole season, but I have changed my mind after yesterday. I have come to the grim – and painful – realisation that things will not change under him.
But the caveat is that we must get someone permanent and not this interim thing; that calls for a thorough search.
Emery scammed the panel with videos and claims of knowing our players and how to deliver them.
This coach is just gambling with the team, something that would have needed a simple decision to get us going, it takes him years to grasp, he’s quite a dull student.
Maybe many fans dont know this, the brand of football we fans are clamouring for and that of allegri’s is not a match made in hell more of a match mmade i
Maybe many fans dont know this, the brand of football we fans are clamouring for and that of allegri’s is not a match made in hell more of a match made in heaven. He isn’t our solution
I remember when Arsenal would apologise to the fans for a performance like that, shocking to think this guy thinks this is acceptable
Agreed, nice guy but just not good enough. Rip off that plaster quickly
I think Arsene is available ?
If he thinks we didn’t deserve to win, then he must feel this performance is good enough to win most games. And that, to me is scary.
He’s talking about Sheffield like it’s Bayern. Jesus..
Exactly. “We didn’t deserve to lose”? Did you set us up for a tie? At friggin newly promoted mighty Sheffield United? Sorry Unai, we just not that bad.
Fuck off, Emery. Playing like that it’s EXACTLY what was deserved.
Sort this shower of shit out or leave!
I think we have seen this boring, clueless football for most of this calendar year. There is no point expecting him to improve. His level is EL not PL.
I don’t understand this whole “we deserve” thing. I we lost then we deserved to lose because we didn’t do what was necessary to not lose.
Exactly! We were once again up against a mediocre team and we let them beat us. That’s on us and they deserved their victory.
Under Emery we are the mediocre team!
They could easily have scored 2, and after the goal they set up to defend, which was soo easy for them. They were deserved winners, even if we had got the penalty what is to say that they would not have scored 1 or 2 more?
As poor as Mike Dean was… yes Unai, we did deserve to lose that game. Outplayed by newly promoted side. Would penalty call have changed the outcome, maybe. Besides the Pepe chance did we create anything of meaning? Far from it. I for one am ready for caretaker Freddie, he could hardly do a worse job. 15 months at the helm and no progress or identity whatsoever, with mind you a superior squad of players than Wenger had for a long time. Interesting to see how long the board let these performances and results go on before they make a… Read more »
Reckon one of our lads will lead the league for passes completed this season. Unfortunately I think it will be either Luiz to Kola or Kola back to Luiz.
Dont forget Leno to Xhaka back to Leno. A true Emery evergreen.
Imagine what wenger could do with this squad…
Sign worse players and take us back two years, and then also fail to get us into the CL, and then spend another 3 years trying to correct what Wenger did with his neglect of the squad?
A never ending Emery – Wenger loop
I don’t want to imagine because his goal was to build team brexit at all costs. Playing Alex Overrated-Chamberlain in the front three for his usual 2 league goals a season. If Arsene was here, and I love that man, Gibbs would be captain, Welbeck would still be playing ahead of ( no full 90 minutes) Laca and Jenkinsson would be looking at a pay hike on a long term deal. That’s how we became a Europa league team in the first place. The man is a legend but his time was up. That said, with how Unai talked about… Read more »
Emery’s play style and what he gets out of his team reflects his personality a little bit. He’s constantly reacting from the back foot and going into games assuming the worst, the team plays this way now. There’s no desire from the team to assert themselves in any given game. Sheffield were dominating for much of the game, and every player should take it as a personal affront, not continue grinding away with Emery’s muddled ideas in their head. Emery is feeling the pressure now and he doesn’t strike me as someone who thrives under that. Can easily see him… Read more »
When I gave you a thumbs up, you were at 49 undefeated!
Freddie for caretaker and bring Dennis over as assistant
the article makes sense because it presents the manager’s reaction to the match; it’s the manager’s reaction that makes no sense to me. he said nothing. he told us the team tried and that we play palace next weekend. i wonder if someone pressures players/managers to give these kind of interviews, because most of them are just so empty. i also believe that he fails to express himself in english and though it’s not his fault it tends to be quite annoying when you want answers on why do we suck so much.
You sound like manager at the end of your tenure scrabbling around for excuses. I have no clue what your strategy is. Wenger may only have had ‘Plan A’ but at least he had a plan and when it worked it was beautiful. Your chaotic schoolboy kick and rush terrorism is an abomination. Please go.
The Unai has bombed!
‘We didn’t deserve to lose’ – yes we did.
Translation: “I don’t deserved to be sacked.”
Their Attacker out jumped 3 Arsenal defenders. Why will he not bring back Holding ,Bellarin and Teirney. They are more dynamic and inspiring to watch. As I said a month ago over 50 matches and not a bloody clue. The manager has surly tried all he can and it’s clearly not working out. This league is to much for him. I feel a change is needed and we have to bring in the younger players. It cannot be any worse that watching this timid style of rubbish. We need a Sean Dyche type of manager who with Arsenal’s resources will… Read more »
Sean Dyche type? A poor man’s Mourinho playing snide anti football? No thanks…
We deserve to have better manager immediately.
We deserve to have good manager we are tied now please
It’s so hard not to wish ill on this man, but I’m seriously fed up. Watching our team play isn’t even fun anymore with the way Emery has them set up. If the club had any vision this would be Emery’s last in charge.
We are so fucking boring in the EPL. I actually read an article during the game. It was about the dangers of Alexa and Google Home and how they easily phishing applications/skills are to get through quality control
I was on twitter for most of tue 2nd half. Only good thing that came from me going to see the game is that I saw a shooting star on my way home for the 1st time in my life. Now that memory is forever linked with that disasterclass from Emery. I was this close to wishing he got sacked but I decided to wish for good health and my success instead.
Why not wish for world peace? Also, his sacking would also bring you good health. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
emery do not know what he is doing with his midfielder no creativity no ball holding.
Why was a Penalty awarded against us when David tugged Salah shirt but none for us when Sokratis shirt is tugged ? Are these referees being paid bribes to fuck Arsenal over ? look at the blatant penalty on Pepe vs Bournemouth. Something fishy is going on this league, I have my suspicions. Ok Pepe should have scored but hey worst chances have been missed by strikers but I have a feeling the referee ‘s are corrupted. Where there’s billions of pounds invested ala premiership you will find corruption at the Core.
Maybe we didn’t deserve to lose, but we didn’t deserve to win either. And that’s the problem. We don’t look like we’re even set up to win, forget deserving to.
Not one game this season have we outplayed an opponent. We’re riding on Auba’s insane form and that’s about all. When he doesn’t score, we lose.
And I’m not going to use the ‘O’ word here…
Didn’t deserve to win, that’s for sure.
I really try to rise above all the knee-jerk Emery-Out stuff. But when I hear him saying that we didn’t deserve to lose a game against a newly-promoted team, despite how spirited they played and how they kept to an astute game plan, I despair. Our manager shouldn’t be flailing around trying to convince people that we were worthy of a point. He should be bemoaning why we didn’t win and identifying the reasons why we lost. Would Klopp be baby-blubbing about a lost point? No. He would be kicking ass in the dressing room and in the media as… Read more »
I think Emery and Xhaka are similar. Devil sent to destroy us.
The dude is actually mental. We didn’t create anything! How did we not deserve to lose? United defended well and while they had a helping hand from the ref, Arsenal were poor.
Worrying how clueless this guy is to reality.
+1 to this. Whatever the situation is / isn’t with Ozil, it’s difficult to imagine him being in the team is less than or equal to this dross.
What did ozil did to this manager i don’t understand,….. Young player’s must play in a second half
We didn’t deserve to have to watch that pathetic performance.
you dont have to.
I apologise to all the fans here that I have been accusing of not supporting this team properly. I apologise to Blogs for suggesting he was too negative in his recent viewpoints. I was under the assumption that you were all wrong and that I was right. That we needed to give Emery more time and get behind our team and our Management. That good things were happening and coming together in time to get a real result out of this season. I am sorry. It is not the result, it is our performance that has stung me – we… Read more »
Well done AussieGooner. Too many people are afraid of changing their minds..
The problem is not just the manager. There are multiple issues with our club. Yes, I agree that this manager is not good enough. But in order for us to succeed we need to change the mentality of the way we play, our DNA. We are too soft, too nice, too scared, not confident, clueless, we lack leaders and fighters in the team.
Manager needs to go yes, but also 80% of this weak team. Most of our players are shit, and we need to admit that.
“Most of our players are shiit”? Absolute bollocks, that! So tell me, how many of Sheffield’s starting eleven would you have in our squad then? THIS MANAGER/HEAD COACH IS SHIT & NEEDS TO BE SACKED IMMEDIATELY.
The mindset of players is normally changed by the manager. I know for that laca, Torreira, sokratis, auba, bellerin, holding, to name a few, are not soft naturally
Are you the same Ozziegooner elsewhere? The one who thought I was being unreasonable?
No, just here.
Ozzie Gooner might be that chap from Iron Maiden, but thought he would be a Villa fan.
Oops. Black Sabbath I think I meant.
His press conferences just increase my anger. At least Wenger would say some wildly amusing delusional shit. This motherfucking talking about metres leading to corners and protagonists in transition. Fuck off. We should have known after he conspired to lose a 4 nil lead with Peg.
Wenger at least setup the team to score. Yes even when we were bad even then we were scoring goals of quality. Arsenal site still shows goals from his time. Because at least it was fun watching.
We were 3rd but were not confident that we would win against the mighty blades. So setup our team to defend well and protect the lead. Wait we never got the lead.
Hey Blogs do we have the stats for big chances created by far.
Shades of Donald Trump’s alternative facts here I think. Here’s my alternative interview: On the performance… We set up not to lose the game from the start as Sheffield United are a big team. In the first 30 minutes, our plan was to let them have possession in our half whenever they wanted – we were very confident we could keep them out, after all our defence has been very solid for the last 15 months. We’ve been defending so well recently that I even felt I could leave out our new 25 Million left back. When they scored, of… Read more »
Good evening.
*ebening
Not good
Sheffield Utd. played a smart game. It looked like every arsenal player was double teamed when they came into their half. This should’ve prompted more one touch football but every player was trying to dribble it past them. Emery tried to adjust by going to the wings but then we were not able to find any joy there. All the best to him and the coaching staff, we may need some luck to get into the top 4 with the way we play right now.
That’s it, I’m done. Freddie in.
It’s time. The experiment has failed (and has done for 18 months) – Emery has to go. Freddie in for the season. Get out attractive, quick and attacking football back. We are soulless right now. Shocking.
Freddie getting booked for showing a bit of passion was my highlight from this particular game.
What we deserve is a different manager. We have the players to do better than this so let’s get someone who can make that happen. After this I’m officially in the Emery out brigade.
Fuck this bloke.
No we don’t have the players.
Emery saw to that by wasting 70 million on a donkey…
Behave yourself – Pepe was one of our better players tonight, and to insinuate that his signing was purely an emery decision is just silly.
Oh bollocks
You judge on what you see and I have seen nothing from Pepe to make me believe he is anything but a colossal mistake and a waste of money that we don’t have to waste.
If anything its disrespectful to donkeys who frequently provide rides for small children up and down popular seaside resort beaches…
Yes you did deserve to lose.
Arsenal are spineless and directionless under Emery.
To fire him now would have no impact on the direction the club is going in right now.
#Emery out !
Safe to assume #emeryout is now trending?
More word salad from Emery. I’m not being harsh but I can’t for the life of me understand what he is ever getting at. He is pulling the greatest heist of all time as far as I’m concerned. We need to get rid of him asap because my worry is that he will leave us potentially a year down the line in potentially a worse state than now. Its concerning to think we have wasted these 15 or so months going backwards rather than forwards. Laca and Auba are no spring chickens and if they leave we are without a… Read more »
Please fu*k off Emery. You suck.
No one seems to notice that this is a repeating thing, not just with Arsenal(although it is mostly Arsenal), but there have been strange results in PL for the last 10-15 years. Football has lost its appeal because of silly manipulations to try and produce the “perfect live show”, but they are messing it up big time. This is the same things that started to happen to football at the time AW was here. Games moved for “effect” and advertising views. Rules not transparent, but very ambiguous, leaving many different interpretations. No ref league, so we can get the best… Read more »
Putting aside Dean’s bias and Pepe’s miss, I don’t know where to look to. The team selection on match-day 9 with a fully fit squad against an average opposition was … horrendous. The combination of Xhaka and Guendouzi when you need to be crisp and fluent in possession is the worst. Of the back 4, keep Chambers and replace the rest. Everybody can see that Saka has the Europa League level for the moment, no more. And then, leaving Özil out of the squad… For me, he’s (Mezut is) the big winner of this disaster. Without playing. Thanks to Emery.… Read more »
Yes, we didn’t deserve to lose…2 hours of our lives.
Emery is the type of man to shower wearing swims shorts. He is overtly cautious and always worried about others. I’d love to see a poll regarding should Emery stay or go.
Wow
Read his commemts in the offical arsenal.com… what the hell is conceding meters.? I am baffled by this guy.. hes got no character no charisma at all.. just like our team.. a total reflection of his.. he needs the sack to improve both Arsenal and himself
I used to nickname as Emyrates. I’d even go on that YouTube channel and defend him for some asinine reason. I’m officially Emery out. I tend to lean towards the rational.. Yet yesterday I found myself childishly pointing the middle finger my television set every time his image was shown. I don’t care about Allegri. Get Freddie in there.. I remember Saka basically saying “I can understand Freddie”… To me that was telling in itself.
So. Sick of his horrid press conferences.
Could it be that in a similar pattern to Van Gaal, the players respond to the individual requirements to do very specific things. Much like micro management you know exactly what to do and what to do to achieve the happiness of the manager. However you don’t learn the bigger picture necessarily and things get a bit stale as the manager now finds himself further down the road trying to firefight everywhere. This is the opposite of Wenger’s hands off approach and letting people decide but in a more overall aim in mind. Encouraging players to find answers themselves and… Read more »
Horrible. It is beyond my comprehension how this coward, zero impact coach can still remain at the helm. I’m genuinely convinced that we couldn’t perfom any worse with Freddie.
Experts and fans share the same opinion that we’re not going anywhere, stuck and wasting time at no man’s land.
Why can’t our leadership see this and act accordingly?
If we waste any more time we’ll soon be out of competition for the fourth place, the only thing that still keeps us in the race is that everyone is bad except for Pool, City and Leicester…..
Have you seen Chelsea lately? Just because they had a bad start people seem to have it in their heads that they have been bad all season, when it was just teething troubles. They’re far better than us at the moment, with a largely comparable squad.
Clueless manager. Have two of the best atracking fullbacks, plays a center back and a never good enough winback in their place. Has the most creative midfielder in the league in the past few years, not even on the bench. Has the best defensive and energetic defensive midfielder, plays a guy with the turning curcle of a tugboat. Has the direct equivalent to ramsey, plays a youngster proven to strugle away from home in every game. Sets out to play on the back foot against, no disrespect, an opposition about five classes bellow our skill level and loses the game… Read more »
The manager is not a clown , a clown knows how to entertain and knows what he is getting paid for.
Please let freddie have a go till end of season he is an arsenal man and his english is a lot better than emery .
He is with us nearly a year and a half and I still don’t understand what he is saying.
Emery is a shit couch. Playing shit spanish football. No Ozil again. Fucking stupid.
I hate shit couches.
I’m amazed at how defensively we are set up when we cannot defend. With Xhaka + another holding type of player, we have no momentum and no real link to either of the front three. We really ned to see Torreira in the DM position and then two of Guendouzi, Ceballos and Willock ahead, running like mad all game long. I’m wondering if tonight was the first time where Emery realised Xhaka is not right for this team at the moment. He’s too left footed, which wastes valuable time in midfield that he, and Arsenal do not have against a… Read more »
“We didn’t deserve to lose”, shows the negative mindset of Emery, as he isn’t about winning a game, but he sets up his team “not to lose”. The first XI was as horrible as one can get and the formation required a creative player, which Willock is NOT. Everyone was justifiably excited about the youngsters coming through, but I’m of the opinion that Willock, Saka and Reiss are not yet ready. So is Guendozi who has a lot of heart and puts in the work rate, but he seems to be running around a lot without actually controlling the game.… Read more »
Been saying it all season and I’ll say it again. Get rid. The guy’s out of his depth.
I dont think Emery will achieve his minimum target of CL football by a 4th place finish. That said I’d think appointing Freddie smacks of the United Solskjaer appointment. Would it be an improvement yes, but I have doubts whether he’d get a 4th place finish and experience counts at the business end of the season and I love Freddie!
Definitely feels more like when he will go rather than if at the moment though. Hard to see a comeback or surviving another bad result/performance.
We definately deserved to lose…willock dont deserve to start in pl…we played like shit…miss ozil…unai aint a coach
I’m sorry but enough is enough. I’m not one to jump on the insert managers name here out bandwagon but I’ve endured this nonsense for so long now I can’t take it any longer. Emery has become so cautious that his tactics are simply making good players look inadequate and players who are not good enough the catalyst for toxicity on a level I’ve never experienced. Socratis and Kolasinac cannot play it out from the back. It’s that simple. they are not bad players but stick Xhaka near them and it’s a recipe for disaster. Our weakest link is our… Read more »
I wonder what we deserved according to UE? With performance like we displayed.
Auba hadn’t any decent opportunity to score. Emery addressed this challenge, I mean a lack of creativity, by bringing wrong players at the wrong time. That’s why he’s clueless.
Desperate Times Emery!!! Why throw Pepe under the bus……getting fired by January Tops….Clueless Cu*t!!!!
“When I played against Arsenal I was so happy because I knew I was going to win”
“Arsenal are a team of babies and are not winners”
Patrice Evra who, to be honest doesn’t like Arsenal very much.
He is absolutely 100% correct though.
Arsenal players are gutless, spineless with no character and just there to take the money.
Aubameyang is the only player who deserves any credit and if he has any sense would be pushing to leave.
Emery is the most incompetent “manager” I have ever seen.
Just unbelievable how is allowed to defraud a living like this…