Wolves draw piles pressure on Emery
LONDON: Under-fire Arsenal manager Unai Emery admitted results must improve quickly after a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves extended the Gunners’ winless run in the Premier League to three games.
Raul Jimenez’s header 14 minutes from time earned Wolves a well-deserved point after Arsenal’s captain for the day Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang opened the scoring against the run of play.
Emery’s men have now won just two of their last nine league games and could end the weekend six points adrift of the top four.
“I am very demanding of myself,” said Emery when asked if the fans’ boos at full-time put his position under greater pressure. “I feel the responsibility to work and come back with better results.”
A week on from a foul-mouthed reaction from Granit Xhaka towards the Arsenal fans as he was substituted against Crystal Palace, Emery left the Swiss international out of his squad and handed the captain’s armband to Aubameyang in an attempt to ease the tension between players and supporters.
However, there was no great upturn in the Arsenal performance with doubts growing with every passing week that Emery is the man to lead Arsenal back into the Champions League next season.
Emery also responded to the Xhaka controversy by listening to the fans’ calls for Mesut Ozil’s return as the German made just his second Premier League start of the season.
However, Ozil made little impact with Arsenal again reliant on Aubameyang for inspiration.
“(He) could be,” added Emery on whether Aubameyang will permanently replace Xhaka as captain. “I think he can take that responsibility and today he did that.”
Wolves had 25 shots on goal and enjoyed the better of the chances, leaving boss Nuno Espirito Santo urging his side to be more clinical in the final third.
“We should be more clinical when you have so many chances,” said the Portuguese coach. “It is a lot of shots we must improve.
“Perfection doesn’t exist but we keep chasing it.”