Former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has asked supporters to give manager Unai Emery more time to turn things around at the Gunners.

The 34-year-old rates the Arsenal boss as a decent coach, but he believes he is facing a huge challenge in the Premier League to be successful against teams such as Liverpool and Manchester City:

“Unai Emery is a good coach and it’s a very good team, I watch them play often, but he needs time. It’s a new generation and it’s very difficult to compete against teams like Man City and Liverpool. It’s difficult to know [why the club has stalled].”

“They have the players, they have the fans, the stadium, they have everything to do it but they have to believe it.”

Fans are not necessarily asking Emery to be able to compete with the top two teams in England, but they were expecting a lot more than being eight points off the top four after just twelve games played.

However, it does appear Arsenal’s hierarchy are of the same mind as Cazorla in regards to giving Emery more time. The Spanish manager is coming under increasing pressure to get results but the London club face a challenging festive period.

The Gunners will play City, Chelsea and Manchester United in the space of 17 days before the winter break.