4 IWOBI KEEPS IMPROVING
The 23-year-old wideman has been a fixture since 2016, but last season he hit new heights
Do you feel you improved during your first season under Unai Emery? Well, I did beat my goal tally from the season before, played quite a few more big matches and was far more efficient in the final third. Experience has been a part of it, but Unai has been a big factor. He’s had me pushing higher and wider so I can isolate myself against the full-back. I always back myself in one-on-one situations, so it’s been very effective. How important is it for you to feel like you have the manager’s trust? Very important, especially as a creative player – you’ve got to keep your belief, so you won’t be afraid to try something even if what you’ve tried hasn’t come off the first time. “Keep on going”, that’s what he’s always saying. When Auba missed that penalty against Spurs, the manager spoke to him a lot after the match. It definitely helped Auba the next week, when he scored one against Manchester United. Is it hard to respond to personal criticism, particularly from your own fanbase? The older I get, the more I’ve been able to manage my feelings about things like that. When you’re playing for a club like Arsenal, there’ll be loads of people loving you when you do well, but you’ll be exposed to harsh criticism very fast when things go badly. The manager always tells us that it’s important to learn from our mistakes, but to move on. Who were the players you looked up to when you were in the Arsenal academy? Growing up, I idolised Jack Wilshere. He was a great technical player who had progressed through the academy and become a big part of the first team. Back in the day, we’d always try to get advice from him. He’s probably been my biggest influence at the club – him and Mikel Arteta, who trained with the under-21s when he was coming back from an injury. I’ve always liked to laugh and joke, but back then I maybe took it a bit too far. Mikel told me to stay focused on football. Someone like him saying that makes you take notice, so I did. What’s your personal ambition for 2019-20? To win something. I want to experience that winning feeling that you only get when you lift a trophy. I was on the bench for the last trophy we won [the FA Cup final in 2017], so I got a taste of it, but it’s something I want to experience more. We’re still pushing forward. There are a lot of positives around the club, there have been a few changes, and it feels like a great time to be here.
5 EMERY MAKES HIS TEAMS BETTER
A consistent theme throughout Unai Emery’s coaching career is the second-season uptick. He took Valencia to 6th and then 3rd in his first two seasons there. At Sevilla, he achieved a 5th-place finish in his first two seasons, but added the Europa League trophy at the second time of asking. At Paris Saint-germain, he went from 2nd and winning both domestic trophies to winning the French domestic treble.
Emery usually needs one year to assess the players at his disposal, before tweaking things. He affords a certain amount of patience with players in his first season, which expires when the time comes to deliver the difficult second album. At Arsenal, he now has a decent idea of who he can count on and who he can’t. TS
6 HIGHBURY LIVES On
One of the advantages of Arsenal’s stadium move in 2006 was the Emirates’ proximity to Highbury. The pubs, eateries and every other important matchday touchstone remained untouched. In the early years of the Emirates, it was painful walking past the old place, but now the old East Stand’s famous façade looks much the same as it ever did.
Many Arsenal addicts will slightly alter their matchday walk to and from the Emirates and cut down Avenell Road, just to see the former gaff. Highbury now stands as an opportunity to reflect, and to point out to younger relatives the original majesty of the historic ground. TS
7 HARNESSING THE SPIRIT OF BAKU
For years, division has been the byword for the Arsenal support. Faith in Arsene Wenger gradually eroded and the fanbase became embroiled in bickering. Emery’s arrival both buoyed and checked the mood. Reaching the Europa League final kept the campaign alive right to the end, but UEFA’S decision to hold the game in Baku denied most Gunners fans the opportunity to attend.
Around 3,500 supporters made the journey and during the minutes leading up to kick-off, a camaraderie emerged on the concourse that I’ve neither seen nor, more to the point, felt beween Arsenal fans for a good few years now. There was a bond. “Ooooooh, we’re the Arsenal, we’re the fucking Arsenal, we’re the Arsenal, we’re in Bakuuuuu,” rang around the stadium as we soaked one another in lager.
Hopefully we can preserve this unified spirit and carry it into the new season. We’ve had time to adjust to Wenger’s departure now – there’s no single point of contact to polarise us any more. Arsenal have chosen a structure that sits above the manager to provide more technical continuity.
Arsenal fans may not ‘love’ Unai Emery yet, but that’s all right: the club will have a much quicker turnover of managers and this new reality will, I hope, mend some rifts within the fanbase. There’s not much that Arsenal will want to bottle and keep from their ill-fated trip to Azerbaijan, but the togetherness of the travelling support is well worth salvaging. TS
8 THE RETURN OF ROB HOLDING
There’s one man Arsenal fans are desperately keen to see playing again. For six months now, they’ve glimpsed him only through late-80s camcorder footage. It’s Rob ‘Holdini’ Holding.
The 23-year-old has been on a long road to recovery, having suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. Soon he could return to plug a hole in Arsenal’s leaky stern and steer them towards calmer waters of defensive capability.
As Laurent Koscielny enters the final year of his contract, the Gunners are in need of a new defensive talisman. Hector Bellerin’s return will be a big boost, but it’s Rob holding the key to uniting the ways of George Graham and Arsene Wenger, as he expertly combines his no-nonsense tackling with tactically-conscious passing. All he needs now is a run of games.
9 THEY HAVE A LONG-TERM no.1
Bernd Leno turned up from Bayer Leverkusen under considerable pressure, but he kept his head down and worked his way into the team.
Slowly but surely he began to show positive signs, and from February through March, Leno put in a string of impressive displays against Southampton, Spurs and Man United. The run included some brilliant reaction saves, and his stop from a Moussa Sissoko shot at Wembley went down as one of the saves of the season.
Leno’s calm alertness seems to cut through the noise. If they recruit efficiently enough in defence, the Gunners can begin to feel safer in his hands. Who needs David Seaman, eh? BD
10 THE EMIRATES IS A FORTRESS (SERIOUSLY)
Like a band playing new material instead of sticking to the classics, Arsenal’s form on the road has been awful. It was the final nail in Arsene Wenger’s coffin, and a teething problem in the first year of Unai Emery. However, in their own backyard, Arsenal have been crowd-pleasers: they have won 75 per cent of their Premier League home games in the past three seasons. That rate trumps Liverpool – and, in fact, every other club apart from Manchester City – but while Anfield is famed for its atmosphere and the effect that it has on the home team, the Emirates is almost exclusively painted as more of a café than a cathedral. Still, it seems to be working – and it’s worth keeping an eye on a group of young fans who are making it their mission to pump up the volume.
11 ARSENAL WOMEN ARE CHAMPIONS
Looking for an Arsenal team that plays with purpose and swagger? An Arsenal team that, last season, thrashed Chelsea 5-0 in their own backyard, twice put five past Liverpool and won the league title with games to spare? An Arsenal team with the best centre-forward in world football, and summer signings including three players from Bayern Munich and one of Manchester City’s starting centre-backs?
Any Gunners fan craving a more palatable alternative reality should travel a dozen miles north-east from the Emirates to Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park, where Arsenal Women are champions of England once again. Under Australian manager Joe Montemurro, they’re re-establishing themselves as the nation’s top women’s team and looking to take on Europe.
Arsenal Women are a tight-knit unit playing a stylish brand of football. “Formations are for football journalists,” Montemurro told me last season. “My only rule is: no straight lines. When someone has the ball, she has to have a passing lane to a player in an advanced position.” Like Unai Emery, Montemurro will tweak his tactics to exploit the weaknesses of the opposition, but perhaps unlike Emery, it’s underpinned by a total footballing philosophy.
The numbers speak for themselves. Arsenal Women scored 70 goals and conceded just 13 in their 20 league matches last season. They led the division for possession, pass completion and shot conversion, and allowed the fewest shots on goal. Montemurro’s side dominate games through a mixture of possession and sharp transitions, and they have the world’s foremost centre-forward in 22-year-old Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema.
Despite a crisis that meant they lost seven first-team players to knee injuries during the season, Arsenal fended off Manchester City and Chelsea to win the league comfortably. Now, Joe and the team have their eyes fixed firmly on winning the Champions League for the second time in their history.
That ambition has resulted in them bringing in goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger, defender Leonie Maier and attacking midfielder Jill Roord from Bayern Munich, while centre-back Jen Beattie has returned from Manchester City. Arsenal have added top-tier quality to drive competition for places and cope with all the rigours of a European campaign. They’re the hottest ticket in north London right now. TS
12 THEY BOUNCE BACK – A LOT
Arsenal have had their crises over the past decade, but they almost always bounce back. Case in point: last season’s 2-0 win against Manchester United, in the same week that the Gunners lost 3-1 to Rennes in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
“It was a statement of intent, and that’s the mentality we have to take going forward after any setback,” insisted Pierre-emerick Aubameyang. Days later, they beat Rennes 3-0, so expect them to put Baku right. AM
13 THEY ‘GET’ THE SPURS RIVALRY
“You don’t realise how special and unique that game is until you’re in the middle of it,” says Lucas Torreira of the North London Derby, telling FFT all about the Gunners’ thrill-a-minute 4-2 win at the Emirates last December, in which he hit Arsenal’s fourth goal. “A few people had tried to tell me about the passion, but it was an eye-opener for me. This just isn’t a normal game.” AM
14 THEY HAVE A NEW SUPERFAN
There’s a new contender for Arsenal’s No.1 fan: a 69-year-old Frenchman called Arsene.
Wenger walked away 12 months ago after 22 years and 1,235 matches managing the Gunners. He told FFT recently that while it felt “a bit strange” watching them from afar (not least as the 2018-19 campaign was his first spent outside management since the 1970s), he’ll be an Arsenal supporter for life.
“I’ve given my life to them,” he said. “Now, I watch like a fan. I’m happy when they win, and not happy when they don’t play well.
“These days, I read a lot, travel a lot, play different sports and run 8-10km every day. I’ve done many conferences about football, management, motivation, the meaning of life... personally I don’t know what it means!
“My toughest competition has always been with myself. I’ve always asked, ‘What is my next level?’ I will live with that as long as I’m on Earth. Now I’m at an age where I have to fight not to go to my next level down... [Jokingly pointing to the ground]
“I don’t know how much legacy I left. You can leave a trace in the spirit and the legs of the players, but also inside the club. You just do your job like you think you have to do it.
“I gave my best.”
Chris Flanagan has been a staff writer at FFT since 2015. Follow @Cflanaganfft
15 TORREIRA WILL BE EVEN BETTER
The 23-year-old terrier from Uruguay provides the midfield bite and energy Arsenal have lacked since Patrick Vieira. But he’s after more than plaudits... What made you choose Arsenal last year? It was the best option, because this is a huge club with massive support around the world. The fans and everyone associated with the club have made me feel so welcome. I really feel like a part of the family here. How have you adapted to London life? It’s been a pretty big change for me, coming from Sampdoria. Genoa is a much smaller city than London, but every week I feel more comfortable and learn new things about the way of life. When I arrived, we saw traditional landmarks like Buckingham Palace, trying to get my bearings. Now it feels more like home. The fans seemed to warm to you early on... Yes they did, which gives you that extra boost when you’re on the pitch. You raise your game and help the team as best as you can. With my character – and the way I am, I suppose – I bring a set of qualities to the team. Do you think they like your tough mentality? You could say that. I’m used to fighting. That desire is something my parents instilled in me from a very young age. Life is about sacrifice, trying to make the most of every moment and believing there’s no ceiling to anything. Is that the sort of mentality Unai Emery demands from his players? He’s the sort of guy who appreciates you most because of the effort you put in. He’s intense in everything he does, and he’s always working on the day-to-day part of the club. With him as our coach, and the staff he’s brought with him, we can achieve our goals together. The amount of video analysis that he does is legendary. Do you ever get bored?! Going to these lengths is always worthwhile, as you’ll know what to expect. Every coach in modern football wants to prepare their players with pre-match analysis, and he’s certainly no different. He wants to anticipate problems you may have with the opposition on matchday. The preparation is really helpful. What are your expectations for 2019-20? The most important thing is to be back in the Champions League as soon as possible. The Europa League is a big competition, of course, but this is a club which has always fought for the top competitions. It’s important we bring in the best players we can, and also that we get used to facing the best footballers in the world. We’re doing everything we can to get back to that level, not only for us, but for the fans who have suffered in recent seasons. AM
16 SPURS AREN’T THE CHAAAAMPIIOOONS
Arsenal’s relative decline in recent years has been made all the more frustrating for fans by Tottenham’s simultaneous rise under Mauricio Pochettino, with St. Totteringham’s Day put on hiatus as Spurs punch above their weight.
Until now it has been containable – even tolerable. Tottenham have not won a trophy in this time. A League Cup or an FA Cup would puncture that particular balloon for Gooners, but again, it would be containable.
However, the prospect of Tottenham Hotspur winning the Champions League resembled a month-long anxiety dream. The gap between the semi-final and final felt cavernous. Every now and again, the idea would slip into your consciousness and ruin your day.
Spurs could have made a genuine case as the new power in north London and Arsenal – as well as surrendering a lifetime of bragging rights – would have known all too well that their badge would look a little smaller in the eyes of the outside world.
Thankfully, we were spared this indignity. TS
17 BELLERIN IS A PLAYER YOU CAN BE PROUD OF
The past 18 months have been surreal for fans. Arsene Wenger’s exit was the most notable bit of upheaval but Ivan Gazidis and Sven Mislintat also moved on, while Per Mertesacker took up an academy role. A new manager and a raft of backstage appointments have changed the technical face of the club, and there’s been an enormous turnover of playing staff.
Consider this: when Arsenal kicked off the 2017-18 season less than two years ago, their squad included Mertesacker, Gabriel, Kieran Gibbs, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla, Danny Welbeck, Petr Cech and Aaron Ramsey. Those players, who have all since departed, made a combined 2,700 appearances for the Gunners.
The current squad comprises players who the Arsenal fans either don’t know very well or wouldn’t fight to keep. A new core is emerging, but familiarity takes time. Unai Emery, while certainly competent, isn’t the most lovable of bosses, and the team is lacking cult heroes. Except, that is, for Hector Bellerin. Under Emery, Bellerin began to flourish again due to the manager’s fondness for overlapping full-backs. His injury in January, following five league assists, was a big tactical blow.
But it’s through his off-pitch persona that the Spanish right-back – only 24 – has cemented a connection with the Arsenal faithful. Bellerin is a thoughtful, authentic, self-confident young man, and his love for fashion and outlandish sartorial choices lend him character.
A committed vegan, he also demonstrates a fierce social conscience, speaking out on subjects such as climate change, abortion and homophobia. Bellerin is a ray of personality in a squad with whom Gunners fans are still on awkward terms. He is especially popular among the millennials in the fanbase, and is viewed as one of the future leaders of this malleable squad. TS
18 KOSCIELNY CAN BE THE WILY OLD HAND THAT ARSENAL NEED
While Emery radiates intense energy on the touchline, the Arsenal captain exudes calm authority on the pitch – and they need him more than ever Think about when you last had your photo taken. If you’re anything like FFT, you either tried too hard or not hard enough, ending up looking like a children’s TV presenter or a serial killer. Or both.
Laurent Koscielny does not have to worry about this problem. Shoulders back, chest out and clad in Arsenal’s new ’80s-inspired kit, the Gunners’ captain exudes the sort of assured gravitas usually reserved for statesmen (if they were even vaguely competent, anyway) or a UN diplomat. This is someone confident in who they are and what they represent.
The 33-year-old has been in north London since 2010 and is the leader Arsenal need. As the club’s longest-serving player, following Aaron Ramsey’s move to Juventus, he is the bridge between the Wenger and Emery eras and talks passionately about the club.
“People have talked a lot about ‘new Arsenal’ over the last year, but I’m not so sure about that,” explains the Frenchman, fixing his gaze on FFT. “It’s not a question of a new club; it’s a question of progression and moving forward in the right direction. It’s the club that stays, the fans who stay, while players and managers come and go. We don’t have the history and that’s how it should be. We’re here to do our best while we’re here.
“Unai Emery arrived with a fresh air to him, and I think it was very important to have that change. I respect the boss, Arsene Wenger, a lot, but the new coach has his ideas of how the team should defend: to press.”
Much has been made of the Spaniard’s first year at Arsenal, but above all there has been a noticeable change in dynamic – an intensity the squad (not just Koscielny) all notice.
“That’s definitely the word – anyone can see it on the sidelines,” laughs Koscielny, referring to Emery’s animated gesticulations in the technical area. “I was recovering from a serious injury when the boys were doing pre-season, but they worked a lot physically to be ready for the high-pressing game that Emery wants us to play. Everything in training is done with a ball, which is important to how he wants us to dominate possession.
“We try to implement this in every session, to be more comfortable doing what he wants from us, and it becoming more normal to do it on the pitch each week.
“I love statistics and study them regularly. You can see that we run more, sprint further than before, and now feel more comfortable implementing that strategy during matches.”
Crucial to that strategy is Emery’s legendary love of video analysis, which prompted former Valencia winger Joaquin to say he “ran out of popcorn” during such tactical discussions.
“Yes, they’re pretty long,” smiles Koscielny, “but the detail in which they cover your own performance and your next opponent – their set-pieces, their style of play – is essential in modern football. Sure, it can take a bit longer, and it was very hard at the beginning because there’s so much new information to process each week, but over time you gradually learn more and more. I love it.”
Koscielny says those last three words with a teenager’s enthusiasm.
“We won a lot of games against the top six, so we must show the same passion and spirit across the whole season,” he says, uncrossing his legs and stiffening slightly in his seat. “It’s the only way we’ll get back in the Champions League. We know it’ll be tight, but it’s vital this club is back in that tournament.”
To do that, Pierre-emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette must maintain their fine form from 2018-19. FFT has spent a good deal of time in the pair’s company, but how does their close relationship work within the squad?
“You can see it for yourself – they have such a great understanding and are always joking,” explains Koscielny, pointing across the indoor pitch to where the friends are giggling as they attempt a mini-crossbar challenge together. “It doesn’t matter who scores – actually, I’m certain they are even happier if one gives the other an assist. Laca gave Auba a penalty last season because he wanted him to score.
“When you see your two strikers happy, it’s brilliant for your own mentality. We know they guarantee 15-20 goals each season, and they certainly make my job easier at the back!”
Last season didn’t end as Koscielny, Emery and Arsenal wanted, but the club captain is adamant that improvement is on the horizon.
“Next season will be better, especially with a couple of new signings to improve the squad. This club wants to fight for the title and every competition we enter. We have winners in this squad and we want to win trophies.”
After almost a decade with the club, it would be fitting for Koscielny to lift some silverware next term. He may not be a leader in the Tony Adams sense, but if his photo shoot is anything to go by, the calm presence he brings to the Gunners’ dressing room is no less vital.
“Being a captain isn’t just talking all the time – it’s leading by example, on and off the pitch,” insists the skipper. “I’ve worked extremely hard to reach this point in my career. I’ve been here for nearly 10 years now, and want to continue showing that attitude. I may not talk a lot, but when I do, people seem to listen.” AM
19 BACK TO YELLOW
Last season brought an indignity of a third kit, the likes of which fans had never seen before. The official designation was ‘Biscay green with Peacoat navy detailing’, though everyone else thought it was mint... and not in a good way.
Whatever the colour was, it definitely was not the traditional Arsenal away strip, yellow with navy detailing, beloved by the supporters.
Now that Adidas have taken over, rarely has there been such optimism surrounding a new kit manufacturer. They were synonymous with Arsenal during the George Graham glory years, when we actually started winning stuff. Better still, they might bring back the yellow, too.
It was a yellow away shirt Michael Thomas wore when the title was suddenly up for grabs at Anfield in 1989. It was a yellow away strip in three successive FA Cup finals from 1978 to 1980, prompting the famous chant, “She wore a yellow ribbon in the merry month of May”. It was Adidas’ yellow ‘bruised banana’ that was Arsenal’s most gloriously daring design of all.
In other words: no more mint.
20 EDU’S On THE WAY
If there’s one transfer that sums up Arsenal’s lack of recruitment smarts in recent years, it’s buying Shkodran Mustafi for a fee similar to what Liverpool spent on Mo Salah. But things have changed, with the expected arrival of former midfielder Edu as technical director.
For Arsenal supporters, it’s primarily a relief to have someone of international standing who is toiling behind the scenes to get deals done. With Edu working under the backing of Unai Emery, managing director Vinai Venkatesham and head of football Raul Sanllehi, the Gunners appear to be entering a new period of stability.
Now that the club are wholly owned by Stan Kroenke, the need to find some young, talented and hungry would-be superstars, not overpaid ‘marquee’ signings, is as acute as ever.
Edu has apparently already targeted his first recruit for the club: Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli. Looking to sign such a young player – the forward turned 18 last month – would suggest that Edu knows he has to “outsmart the market”, as Sanllehi put it recently. At this point, any kind of smartness when it comes to player recruitment would be very welcome.
21 AINSLEY MAITLAND-NILES IS THE POSTER BOY FOR THE ACADEMY
Ainsley Maitland-niles (right) was man of the match in the Europa League final. At least, he was in the first half. During those blissfully encouraging first 45 minutes, his electric pace and enterprise caused all kinds of problems for Chelsea, and he was the Gunners’ main attacking threat. Just like the rest of the team, he subsequently had a difficult second half, but you won’t find many Arsenal supporters blaming him for the capitulation of Baku.
AMN represents Arsenal’s brighter future. The 21-year-old academy star is a versatile attacking wide player, who has had to fill in at full-back or wing-back due to a lengthy injury to the great Hector Bellerin. More than filling in for the Spaniard, however, Maitland-niles has been one of the consistent performers. He is a hard worker, with flair and intelligence to match, and has even been dubbed the ‘new Gareth Bale’ by Tony Cascarino. It’s a fanciful, attention-grabbing claim, for sure, but Arsenal fans can see what Cascarino is getting at.
The hope is that once Bellerin has returned, Maitland-niles can be pushed further forward – perhaps complemented by a new wideman on the left flank – where the England Under-21 international can employ his skills to the full. Even if he ends up playing in the wing-back role again this coming season, he’s the kind of player Arsenal need to cherish and nurture. Then we can all forget about Baku.
22 DEALING WITH OZIL
Mesut Ozil’s contribution to Arsenal’s 2018-19 season was so minimal, his number of truly outstanding performances can be counted on the fingers of one... finger. That came against Leicester last October, when he was involved in one of the great team goals.
Of course, there are those who feel that Ozil is simply misunderstood, because he still offers moments of creativity so subtle they are not necessarily observable by the human eye. But Ozil has been in decline for quite a while now.
In making the German the club’s best-paid player, Arsene Wenger seemed so relieved to have secured the services of one of Arsenal’s few world-class talents, he let him do what he wanted. It gave Emery a conundrum: how to incorporate Ozil’s especially insouciant version of the No.10 role at a time when rival teams opt for super-fast and powerful wide forwards. Whatever happens this summer, whether the 30-year-old is sold or if he stays, there is an unmistakable sense of realism from Emery regarding Ozil. That can only be a good thing.
@boydhilton is an Arsenal season ticket holder and entertainment director of Heat magazine
23 ...AND FIVE OTHER YOUNG GUNS TO WATCH
EMILE SMITH ROWE Smith Rowe is the jewel in the crown of the current Arsenal crop: a dribbler, a creator and a goalscorer all rolled into one. REISS NELSON Arsenal lack end-product from wide attacking areas; Nelson offers a lot of the traditional qualities the team sorely lacks. JOE WILLOCK An attacking No.8 blessed with a penchant for arriving late in the box... didn’t Arsenal just lose someone like that to Juventus? TYREECE JOHN-JULES With Welbeck gone, there’s an opening in the backup striker position, and John-jules has the raw striking ingredients to do it. XAVIER AMAECHI Another tricksy inside forward, Amaechi has earned some rave reviews regarding his consistent end-product at youth level. TS