Martin Keown has spoken out in admiration of Arsenal boss Unai Emery, suggesting that the manager’s ‘assertive’ decision making is helping the Gunners thrive.
The Spaniard has overseen a 21 game unbeaten run since taking over at the Emirates, but has yet to lead a Premier League match at half time.
In Saturday’s 1-0 win over Huddersfield the Gunners dominated proceedings but did not find a breakthrough until the 83rd minute.
And according to Arsenal legend Martin Keown, a huge factor in the Londoners’ proclivity for second half resurgences comes from their manager’s willingness to make tough decisions.
Speaking on Match of the Day (BBC One, Saturday December 9th, 10.30pm), Keown said: “This is where I think he [Emery] is different class. He recognises he needs more creativity on the pitch, he wants Mkhyitaryan and Iwobi in these little areas.
“Guendouzi then has options, they can get forward into those little pockets and that’s when they can show there imagination.
“All it was was just a change of personnel, wide players coming into central positions, and then often they’ve got that little bit extra. They’ve got that quality.
“He’s assertive, he makes changes when he needs to.”
OPINION
Arsenal’s second half record this season is remarkable. They have lost just twice in the league but are still yet to lead a match at half time, 16 fixtures in. Keown is right to highlight Emery’s ability to manage a game as the key reason for this bizarre stat. Unlike many bosses, it’s almost as if Emery regards his starting lineup as the first step in a multi-faceted plan to overcome an opposition. Rather than setting out a team designed to beat the opposition, he sets out sides designed to provide a foundation for the victory. There is of course a flip side to the brilliance of Emery’s substitutions – one that perhaps suggests that he consistently gets things wrong at the first time of asking. The way Arsenal are playing does a pretty astute job rubbishing such a school of thought, however, and in truth, as long as the Gunners keep on winning, they won’t care what method Emery uses to get results.