Former Arsenal and England full-back Ashley Cole doesn’t believe that new Gunners boss Unai Emery can turn the club’s fortunes around overnight.
Emery succeeded outgoing boss Arsene Wenger this summer, which marked the end of the Frenchman’s 22-year tenure at the club. The incoming Spanish coach has a strong CV with experience at Sevilla, Valencia and most recently Paris Saint Germain, which convinced officials at the Emirates that he was qualified to take the hot seat ahead of the new Premier League season.
He has endured a baptism of fire so far after a tough opening to the campaign, losing their first game against champions Manchester City 2-0 before again falling to a defeat against Chelsea on Saturday. However, Arsenal were much improved in the second match and had they taken their chances the result could have ended up quite different, which should be a source of optimism for supporters.
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According to one of the club’s former players Ashley Cole, who picked up two Premier League winner’s medals with the Gunners, the transitional period for Emery to get his idea across will take time, as he told ESPN: “I think it might take a little bit of time, he has to gel the players together, he’s got a few new players.
“To put his philosophy across and how he wants to play, I don’t think it’s going to happen straight away.”
Cole’s comments should be the exact sentiments that all Arsenal fans share right now, given the fact that so much has changed at the club in such a short period of time. Patience is needed to allow the new manager to stamp his mark on the current squad and implement his own unique philosophy, which has already shone through to some extent in terms of his attacking playing style.
The Gunners’ next game is against West Ham United at the Emirates on Saturday, which gives the team the perfect opportunity to get their first three points of the season, not least because Manuel Pellegrini’s confidence stricken outfit have also lost their opening two games.