Emery On Why Arsenal Were ‘In Decline’ Under Wenger

Emery On Why Arsenal Were ‘In Decline’ Under Wenger

Arsenal manager Unai Emery believes that Arsenal were “in decline” under Arsene Wenger during the last few years of his management.

Speaking to the Spanish media, the Gunners boss explained that the club had lost structure defensively over time since the Invincibles season in 2003/04:


“Before Wenger came, Arsenal celebrated 1-0 and were based on defensive solidity With Arsene, joy came from attacking, with players of good standing. And the perfect combination was the Invincibles

“But over time, only technical quality and offensive freedom were taken care of, losing the defensive structure. What I want is to unite both essences and be more competitive. Arsenal was in decline. We had to stop it and start climbing.”

Although Emery has certainly begun to make improvements defensively in big games, most notably against Liverpool, they have continued to leak goals in the Premier League.

Arsenal have conceded the most of any team in the top five; having let in 15 in just 12 league games. However, the Spaniard is going to need time to implement his methods.

In recent weeks, the Gunners have begun to concede fewer goals, but they are still giving away too many chances, with the 1-1 home draw against Wolves last time out showing there is much room for improvement.

Emery’s side head to Bournemouth on Sunday and will want to get back to winning ways after three consecutive draws in the Premier League.

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.