Van Dijk happy to play on

NO CHOICE: Emery had to go after terrible run of results

THE SHAMBLES that is Arsenal football club right now is going to take some fixing.

From top to bottom, this once proud all-conquering English giant is crumbling before our very eyes.

Just ask Unai Emery. The Spaniard arrived 18 months ago amid a blaze of optimism – the perfect choice to succeed legendary Arsene Wenger and re-establish the Gunners as a top-four outfit.

On Friday morning, Emery was packing his bags – sacked following the club’s worst start to a campaign in almost three decades and having, if anything, taken the team backwards.

In crisis off the pitch, with a badly divided dressing room, full of democratically elected captains and some overpaid and under-performing sulking strops.

In crisis in the boardroom. Who is running things in the Emirates corridors of power?

Director Josh Kroenke may be the son of the club’s never-present American owner, but devising a strategy to take the Premier League club upwards is not his forte. Not yet, at any rate.

In crisis with a baffling transfer policy. It should have become clearer once Wenger exited after 22-and-a-bit years hand-picking every target. Yeah right!

Instead, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, who was instrumental in the appointment of ex-Paris Saint-Germain coach Emery, suddenly quit for AC Milan, leaving Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat in charge of targets and signings.

But, if you think those off-field issues are where the problems start and end, think again – Arsenal are in equally deep crisis on it.

At the back, with a defence that still cannot keep clean sheets – and few days ago, so energy is a little bit less than usual if you have a full week to prepare.

“But we have to deal with it and manage the game a little bit better.

“We could have done that better but we won and that’s the most important thing.”

Their latest win gave them clear daylight at the top although Leicester can cut Liverpool’s lead to eight points with a win over Everton today. Klopp said: “We don’t think about these things.

“It was just about going out to win this game. “The boys threw everything at it on the pitch. It’s unbelievable how much they want to win.”

Liverpool will be without keeper Alisson (above) for Wednesday’s Merseyside derby with Everton, after he was sent off against Brighton yesterday.