After defeat against Bate, how does Unai Emery’s first season at Arsenal rate so far?

Losing away to BATE Borisov was tough for a lot of Arsenal fans to accept and was one of Unai Emery’s lowest moments since he took charge of the north London side.

The Spaniard has had the highs of a 22-game unbeaten run but the lows of Borisov and a 5-1 mauling against Jurgen Klopp‘s Liverpool. He also has the curious case of Mesut Ozil to solve behind the scenes. 

Sportsmail looks deeper into Emery’s first season in charge and assesses the good, the bad and the ugly of Arsenal. 

Unai Emery is in one of his toughest moments since taking over as Arsenal boss last summer

Defeat away to Belarus side BATE Borisov was one of the lowest moments of his time in charge

Tactics

Arsenal have been accused of lacking steeliness in recent seasons with a fixation on possession football. 

While there have been moments to suggest improvements are slow in coming to fruition, Emery’s arrival has revitalised a squad that had become too comfortable. 

Matteo Guendouzi is a big player for Emery and he is getting the best out of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. 

Alex Iwobi is also flourishing more than ever before in a system that is looking to utilise the wide players. 

A commitment to playing out from the back will always bring its own problems, bumps to be ironed out and lessons to be learned. Much like Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea or Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, Emery has his principles and is reluctant to compromise on them. 

Wins over Chelsea and Tottenham suggest with the right players at his disposal success could well be forthcoming.  

Verdict: Fair 

Man management

Emery is clearly not shy to make big decisions. He has proven that already. 

But the situation with £350,000-a-week ace Mesut Ozil is becoming ugly – especially when Arsenal are crying out for creativity going forward. 

His inability to effectively manage the egos inside the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room played a key role in his departure and he faces a real test once more unless he can ship Ozil off to a new club. 

Emery is not afraid to make big decisions but key decisions over certain players is questionable

Petr Cech was another he was not afraid to drop. Passing out from the back does not come naturally to the veteran stopper and with the arrival of Bernd Leno, Emery has taken his goalkeepers in and out depending on his game-plan. 

The Aaron Ramsey situation also played out messier than those behind the scenes would have liked. A contract offer was made, and then withdrawn, with Emery not exactly fighting to keep the Welshman. 

He is off to Juventus, funds are hardly forthcoming from owner Stan Kroenke and the Ozil conundrum is still without a solution.  

Verdict: Ugly

The situation around Mesut Ozil is nothing short of a total mess. Arguably the club’s most creative player, the German clearly lacks the trust of Emery but is taking away £350,000-a-week. There has to be a solution this summer or it will go on to dominate Emery’s time in charge.  

Mesut Ozil lacks the trust of Emery having been left out of matchday squads more than once

Transfers 

To say Emery is operating with one hand tied behind his back would be a gross understatement. 

In a stunning admission last month, Emery revealed: ‘We cannot sign permanently. We can only loan players.’

Viewed across the world as one of English football’s big players, Emery could have as little as £45million made available this summer as he eyes an overhaul of his squad in a bid to mould a side in his image.  

Bernd Leno, Sokratis, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Denis Suarez have all been brought in by Emery for a total spend less than Liverpool spent to sign Virgil van Dijk.

Aaron Ramsey’s departure to Juventus on a free this summer frees up space on the wage bill but with funds limited and the potential for another season without Champions League football, it is a thankless task.  

Verdict: Fair

Given the spending power of his rivals, Emery is doing what many would agree is the best job he can. He has brought in a young goalkeeper to replace the retiring Petr Cech and Guendouzi and Torreira look impressive players. Must tackle issues in defence this summer if he wants to fix Arsenal’s biggest weakness.  

Funds are sparing it appears at Arsenal as Emery was pushed into loans such as Denis Suarez

Performances 

Masterminding a 22-game unbeaten run also made his job much harder than it already was. Expectations unsurprisngly rose at a rapid rate and suddenly there was a wonderment: could Emery’s side actually have a crack at the top prize? 

Arsene Wenger’s time in charge ended with the squad a long way from the Invincbles side that remain the greatest in the Premier League era. 

Emery has his own way of playing, too. Committed to playing out from the back, rather than go long, is popular among rival coaches such as Pep Guardiola but unlike the champions, Arsenal lack the personnel to consistently pull it off. 

Wins over north London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea have shown Emery is a more than capable manager as he continues to shape his squad in his vision. 

Away from home, as it has proven in recent seasons, is the big sticking point and the 5-1 battering at Liverpool was a reality check of just how far Arsenal have to come to compete. 

BATE Borisov celebrate after securing a famous victory over a disappointing Arsenal side

In the Europa League Emery is chasing what would be a fourth title and defeat in Belarus was the only defeat of their campaign so far. 

Still heavy favourites to progress, failing to overcome them at home really would raise serious questions. 

Verdict: Fair

Twenty-two games unbeaten shows quality and it is not his fault that sent expectations through the roof. As bad as the BATE defeat was, they can still progress with some ease. Moving in the right direction.  

Dealing with pressure 

No sign of a Rafa Benitez list or a Jose Mourinho-style assassination of his players so in that respect he’s dealing with everything pretty well. 

In the tough moments he brings an air of calmness to proceedings – exactly the tonic required amid the meltdown surrounding the result in Belarus on Thursday night.

Those behind the scenes seem keen to remind him how much it is costing the club missing out on the Champions League but that is not his biggest concern.  

Verdict: Good

An animated character on the touchline but he shows composure with the media, refusing to take the biggest of highs or compound the toughest of lows. A second defeat to BATE would bring pressure and scrutiny of a new kind, though.  

The Spaniard looks to take the heat of his players publicly and is not cracking under pressure

Overall record

On the face of it, Emery’s record is far from abysmal since he took charge last summer.

It was never going to be easy imprinting his philosophy on a squad that had largely become so used to the words of predecessor Arsene Wenger. 

He was handed the toughest start to life in the Premier League with champions Manchester City swiftly followed by London rivals Chelsea. 

Back-to-back defeats was an education but he improved thereafter – the 5-1 mauling at Anfield the heaviest league defeat under his watch. 

His Europa League record – three wins as Sevilla boss – retains hope Arsenal can turn it around against their Belarus opponents. 

Arsenal still have Tottenham and Manchester United to play in what could prove mammoth games in the race for a top four finish.  

Verdict: Fair

Out of both domestic cup competitions in the early stages comes as a big disappointment but the draws were tricky losing to Tottenham and Manchester United. Needs to secure Champions League football one way or another.