Arsenal star aims swipe at Unai Emery as Gunners fell apart tactically vs Watford

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Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has appeared to take a swipe at the tactics of manager Unai Emery after the Gunners’ disastrous second half performance away to Watford at the weekend.

Despite going 2-0 up by half time and looking comfortable, Arsenal were all over the place in the second period as Watford came back to claim a 2-2 draw.

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By the end, the Hornets could also have won the game as they totally outplayed Emery’s side, and it’s clear Leno was not at all satisfied with the way the team was set up.

The German shot-stopper analysed the game afterwards and felt there were too many big spaces between key parts of the team.

He also aimed a thinly veiled dig at Emery for failing to react to Watford’s game plan, despite him thinking everyone could see what the home team were doing to exploit Arsenal’s weaknesses.

“I think the distances between all the different parts of the team were too big and in the second half they had so much space and it was too easy for them, they could [play] around our box,” Leno is quoted by i News.

“Everyone could see that and we have to talk about it. In the first half it was much better, but we have to be honest.

“In the second half we completely lost control of the game. I think the distance between the midfield and the strikers and to the other players was too big.”

This was certainly a worrying performance by AFC and one imagines Emery is going to be under increasing pressure now after a generally unconvincing start to life at the Emirates Stadium.

The Spanish tactician was never going to find it easy to come in after the long-serving and legendary Arsene Wenger, but fans will surely have expected better than this, particularly with the number of signings made to change this squad since’s Wenger’s departure.

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