Emery on brink as Arsenal line up Allegri and Nuno
Manager needs upturn in form immediately Opponents are fearless at the Emirates, he says
Unai Emery’s Arsenal future is hanging by a thread, with the club considering possible replacements following a run of six matches without a win and a widespread loss of faith among supporters.
Emery insisted yesterday that
Arsenal’s executives are “supporting” and “backing” him, but the feeling elsewhere is that the head coach’s departure is now imminent unless he can engineer a sudden and unexpected upturn in performances.
The Daily Telegraph understands that Arsenal have begun the process of weighing up potential replacements for Emery, with Massimiliano Allegri, the former Juventus manager, and Nuno Espirito Santo, the Wolves manager, believed to be among those seen as possible candidates for the job.
Arsenal meet Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League tonight before a trip to Norwich City on Sunday in a match that will feel perilous for Emery, who has overseen just one away victory in the Premier League this season.
Freddie Ljungberg, the assistant coach, is seen by many as the obvious candidate to take over from Emery on a temporary basis if technical director Edu and head of football Raul Sanllehi are unable to recruit a more experienced manager at this stage of the season.
Speaking ahead of Wolves’ meeting with Braga in the Europa League tonight, Nuno said he would not discuss “things that are not real”. “You know I am not going to answer about that,” Nuno said when asked about the links with Arsenal. “I will never mention an issue that is not a reality. Speaking about a job as a manager would be disrespectful, I will not.”
Staying strong: Unai Emery claims he is being backed despite Arsenal’s winless run
The Telegraph understands that Emery had been given a private show of support from his bosses ahead of their recent defeat by Leicester City, with no ultimatums issued at that stage.
Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham, the managing director, then went public with the backing of Emery after the Leicester match, insisting they “firmly believe Unai is the right man for the job”.the nature of their 2-2 draw with Southampton last weekend, though, has underlined concerns held within the team, fan base and boardroom about Emery’s tactics and selection.
Yesterday, Emery made the damning admission that Arsenal’s opponents no longer fear coming to the Emirates as he pleaded with the club’s fans to stay behind the side. He said the team must be more “compact” and added that one impressive performance could revive the side’s connection with the home supporters, who booed en masse at the end of Saturday’s game.
“Really, the club is supporting me,” Emery said. “I feel the club, everyone responsible in that area, is backing me. I appreciate it a lot. I feel strong with that support and
know my responsibility to change the situation. “We need to recover our confidence. We have very good players, but now they are playing sometimes without confidence. We need one good match, one good connection with the supporters and above all I need mainly to be strong in my consistent way every day.”
Emery reiterated that the team need to rebuild their connection with the club’s fans, saying opposing sides are currently “fearless” when they arrive at the Emirates.
His pleas come after the fans booed Granit Xhaka last month, triggering the emotional outburst that led to the midfielder being stripped of the Arsenal captaincy. Emery described Xhaka as “important”
to the team and he could return to the side tonight.
“They [the supporters] need to back and help the players,” Emery said. “The teams are coming here and playing fearless against us. This is the first thing we need to change. We need to be strong and we need to be together. They [the fans] are angry and disappointed, but we are as well. Each match here in the Emirates
with our supporters is very important. We need their support.”
A win or a draw against Frankfurt will guarantee qualification for the Europa League knockout stages. Arsenal will also progress if Standard Liege lose against Vitoria SC.
Emery is expected to make plenty of changes to his line-up, with Shkodran Mustafi among the players who are likely to return.
Asked if the players support their under-fire coach, Mustafi said: “First of all we play for the club. If you play for Arsenal, you know you have to give everything to win.
“We play for each other because we are a team, the boys and the coaching staff are all in the same boat. If the coach is under pressure, the players are, too.”