Arsenal: Will heavy research finally pay off under Unai Emery?

Unai Emery was unveiled as Arsenal’s new manager yesterday, here’s another reason why it’s a good appointment.

Arsenal have been known to play good football over the last decade, although it hasn’t always been fruitful. They have had some exceptional players, but Arsene Wenger has never been able to gel the players into a team-based philosophy.

Unai Emery will bring fresh ideas, and he certainly aligns with how the board want the club to be managed.

The Spanish boss supposedly blew away his employers with a detailed presentation on how he can get the best out of each player. He narrowed down on two particular players – Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

This would suggest he likes his attacking play, as Ramsey is known to bomb forward and Aubameyang is a striker by trade. One thing on the club’s mind is whether or not he can use his research to the best of his ability. Here is where things get interesting.

Correlation between Unai Emery and StatDNA

On the subject of research, Arsenal’s ownership of StatDNA can come in handy. Unai Emery is a very knowledgeable manager, and as we’re approaching the stat-driven era, having first-hand access to data of the game will be beneficial to him.

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He will be able to look at how well his players are performing, and unlike Wenger, he isn’t afraid to drop any players he feels are under-performing.

While this can be perceived as a good or bad thing, there’s no denying that if the system is used correctly, it’s a step above his rivals.

Perhaps this is what the board had in mind, perhaps it’s not. Either way, it’s certainly something to consider for both parties.

I feel like Unai Emery is an excellent appointment. Although he wasn’t the best option, he is certainly worthy of filling Arsene Wenger’s boots. If he can find the right balance of discipline and man-management, then he could easily excel in North London.

He is a winner by trade, and many bookies have slashed their odds on the manager to win the Premier League within his first few seasons.

He will need to be ruthless, but also provide an excellent attacking display. While Wenger could always provide the latter option, he allowed his trust to be taken advantage of. This is a lesson for the new manager, and I’m sure he will have learnt this through his many hours of research.

Next: Anthony Martial snubs Manchester United on social media

Do you think Unai Emery was the right appointment for Arsenal?

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