da bet7： [long_read]
da leao： Arsenal and Unai Emery have started the 2019/20 Premier League campaign in impressive form to rise to third in the table, with last weekend’s 1-0 victory over Bournemouth meaning the Gunners have lost just one of their first eight league fixtures.
The north London side’s sole defeat came at the hands of runaway leaders Liverpool, though Emery will understandably be pleased at the progress his side are making in the current campaign.
With October’s international break taking place over the next fortnight, we take a look at five things that Arsenal’s boss will be stewing over ahead of the club’s next Premier League clash against Sheffield United on October 21st.
[snack_break title=”1. Defensive decisions loom for Emery”]
Whilst Arsenal’s start to the 2019/20 campaign has been unquestionably impressive, the fragility of their defence has, at times, been exposed to an extent that will have dissatisfied their Spanish boss.
Of the top-seven in the current league standings, the Gunners have conceded the second-highest number of goals (11) with Frank Lampard’s Chelsea the only side to have conceded more.
Acquisitions in the summer, including the likes of Kieran Tierney and David Luiz, were a clear part of Emery’s plan to revamp Arsenal’s defence, although the Spaniard is yet to give Tierney a single start or substitute appearance in the league, preferring Sead Kolasinac at left-back.
Emery will also have a decision to make regarding the right-back berth, with Arsenal legend Martin Keown claiming that Calum Chambers is “in control” of the spot, despite Hector Bellerin’s return to full fitness.
The Gunners boss will be faced with a serious dilemma as to whether his £25m summer signing from Celtic warrants a start ahead of Kolasinac, and similarly whether Bellerin should start ahead of Chambers, but the Spaniard will certainly be keen to try alternative options in defence to ensure the club’s push for Champions League qualification can be maintained.
[snack_break title=”2. Emery must invest faith in Ceballos”]
After arriving on loan from Real Madrid in the 2019 summer transfer window, Arsenal fans could have been understandably apprehensive at Dani Ceballos, another highly-rated prospect from La Liga such as Denis Suarez in the 2018/19 campaign, arriving on loan at the club.
Ceballos has been slowly blooded into first-team action under Emery, and following a Man of the Match display against Burnley at The Emirates, expectations were high as to what the 23-year-old could deliver in the 2019/20 campaign.
Since his glistening display against the Clarets, the Spaniard has not registered any goals or assists in the league, with Emery also opting to not play the promising playmaker for a full 90 minutes in any of the club’s league games.
There can be no doubting Ceballos’ talent and flair as a creative playmaker, but October’s international break could mark a good opportunity for Emery to reflect on how best to utilise the promising midfielder in his plans for the current campaign.
[snack_break title=”3. Nicolas Pepe: underwhelming or hitting form?”]
Despite reports of a restricted transfer budget in the summer window, Arsenal smashed their transfer record to bring former Lille attacker Nicolas Pepe to the club in a £72m deal.
Pepe scored 22 goals and registered 11 assists in 38 league matches in his final season in Ligue 1, but so far in the 2019/20 campaign, the Ivorian has scored just one league goal whilst also registering two assists.
Whilst the 24-year-old is in a frontline alongside prolific goalscorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, Emery may have been expecting greater attacking output from the club-record signing, who has started all of the club’s last six league games.
With Pepe away on international duty with Ivory Coast, Emery will be hoping that the winger returns from games against DR Congo and Niger revitalised ahead of the festive fixture list in the Premier League.
Emery may also have the opportunity to reflect on where best to deploy the £72m man, and if he is able to galvanise Pepe into delivering to the standards he set for himself at Lille, then this could be a player capable of playing a vital role in Arsenal’s season.
[snack_break title=”4. Is David Luiz consistent enough for Arsenal?”]
Arsenal’s defensive issues in the latter stages of the Arsene Wenger era were well-documented in the final stages of the Frenchman’s tenure at The Emirates, and a concerning debut campaign for Emery in the Premier League highlighted the lack of quality and consistency in the Gunners’ backline.
Given these problems, the signing of David Luiz from Chelsea in the summer window was a surprising move given the Brazilian’s often temperamental performances, and so far in the 2019/20 campaign, the centre-back has delivered to the same volatile standards we’ve become accustomed to.
Although Luiz did score the winner in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Bournemouth this weekend, it seems unlikely that the 32-year-old can establish himself as a trustworthy figure at the heart of defence.
Emery is likely to be toying with possible centre-back combinations over the international break, and although Luiz is currently performing to a satisfactory standard, his position seems far from secure.
[snack_break title=”5. Mesut Ozil: a problem that Emery simply must solve”]
Whilst Emery has been consistently vocal in his views towards German playmaker Mesut Ozil, the ongoing absence of the club’s highest earner is bound to be giving the Spanish boss a dilemma as to whether the £350k-per-week star can play a part in both his short and long-term vision for the club.
Ozil was omitted from his side’s squad for the Europa League clash against Standard Liege – which the Gunners won 4-0 – and has started just one Premier League game in 2019/20; during which he was taken off after 70 minutes.
Negotiating a potential departure of, reportedly, the club’s highest earner could be difficult – particularly in the January window – but Emery will be faced with a serious issue to address if Ozil’s ongoing absence from first-team affairs continues.
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