UNRAVELLING

Emery pleads for patience from angry fans but, in truth, against big-six rivals his Gunners are as uncompetitive as they ever were

UNAI EMERY is asking fans to be patient while he rebuilds Arsenal.

The problem is they have arguably the most impatient supporters in the Premier League and the mood has suddenly changed amid a sense of deja vu at the Emirates.

The Gunners are just one point better off than at the same stage last season and have conceded five goals more.

And back then they did not have current Premier League joint top scorer Pierre-emerick Aubameyang in their ranks.

Were Arsene Wenger still in charge there would be planes flying overhead demanding his sacking. As it is, much of the positivity around Emery (right) has been eroded in the space of just five games.

Arsenal surrendered their 22-game unbeaten run at Southampton earlier this month, were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Tottenham, then beat Burnley, drew at Brighton and have now been thrashed at Liverpool.

Emery, just six months into the job, insisted it will take the same sort of time Jurgen Klopp was afforded at Liverpool to turn things around.

“Defensively we need to be stronger,” he said. “It’s a very bad result but we need to say they are better than us at the moment. You can see the difference in the table, you can see the difference on the pitch.

“At the Emirates we showed we can compete against them because we drew. But it wasn’t enough at Anfield and the performance in several ways was not good enough.

“But Liverpool three, four or five years ago were in the same situation as us. We need to be self-critical.”

Emery was hailed a miracle worker at the start of the month after the league win over Spurs, with fans insisting they have their Arsenal back. The trouble is, they have the Arsenal back from the dog days of Wenger’s reign.

Nothing used to get Gunners supporters quite as worked up as the injury list, yet the current crisis is as bad as anything under the former regime.

Three first-choice defenders – Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Nacho Monreal – are out, while Shkodran Mustafi was subbed at half time at Liverpool after being rushed back with one day’s training following a hamstring injury.

Emery has been pushing the players to the limit in training, they have rarely had a rest and injuries are stacking up.

The medical set-up was overhauled in the summer, but the current situation would indicate past problems had little to do with the previous staff and physios.

Arsenal want to avoid spending on transfers in January as the money is not there. They would also rather sign players for the long term than panic buys to provide only a quick fix. Whether a growing injury list tempts them to ask Chelsea about Gary Cahill remains to be seen. But it is hard to imagine Chelsea loaning a player to a direct rival who could oust them from the top four.

Recalling Calum Chambers from loan at Fulham is an option but the idea was to give him games and the payroll is already full to bursting. The highest paid player, Mesut Ozil, is on £350,000 a week but it is obvious Emery does not fancy him. Ozil’s latest knee injury cropped up with the German midfielder aware he would not start at Liverpool.

Arsenal’s squad is an ageing mess, the season is catching up with them and the thrashing at Liverpool only underlines the huge task facing Emery.

This is a painful realitycheck rather than a sticking plaster masking the problems.