José Mourinho to antagonise Manchester City, Mark Hughes on the brink and an Everton reunion for Ross BarkleyThe moments Jose Mourinho has cherished most in his career are those when he could thumb his nose at expectation and the established order. Wednesday night’s post-match gurning and chuckling in Turin showed he has lost none of his appetite for personal vindication and vindictiveness. Such occasions were in short supply at cash-rich Chelsea, an Inter Milan dominating Serie A or when managing Real Madrid. And his attempts to paint Manchester United as bedraggled underdogs have usually defied credibility. Sunday at the Etihad, though, is an occasion he can paint himself as a freedom fighter. The Premier League title is all but surrendered...
Unai Emery has removed the sense of drift and reinvigorated the team although questions linger over Bernd LenoIt was only a draw, but at the moment for Arsenal the result is less important than the process. The game for them is not about positions and tallies. It is not, as it is for Liverpool, about trying to keep the neck of the disappearing Manchester City close enough to breathe down.They are not, any more, under the pressure that Pep Guardiola’s side have placed on those who truly aspire to the title. There is no sense for them that every dropped point could be vital – and that means the focus can be far more upon how they played, and the...
The 5ft 5in defensive enforcer from Fray Bentos has been the most notable addition by Unai Emery and never looked like he expected to lose the game against LiverpoolThrough the late Wenger years there was a familiar theme to the performances of Arsenal’s central midfield. Against stronger opponents the most notable quality was the ability to be both there and not there, to perform as a kind of absence, a midfield-shaped hole.Fast forward six months and the difference in tone and texture is tangible. Lucas Torreira had been a promising addition going into this visit of Liverpool to the Emirates, sniping with real skill and craft as Arsenal set off on that long winning run against the Premier League’s middleweights....
Liverpool to reveal how good Arsenal really are, Lukaku to be on the bench again and Hart has a point to prove at West HamAfter the Unai Emery era opened with defeats by Manchester City and Chelsea, it was hard not to wonder if Arsenal were going to endure another uncertain season. Yet a kind run of fixtures has allowed confidence to grow and Arsenal’s players are gaining a strong understanding of Emery’s demands. They are unbeaten in all competitions since losing to Chelsea on 18 August and find themselves four points off the top of the table, with optimism flowing thanks to the goals of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lucas Torreira’s snappy contributions in midfield. But just...
Unai Emery’s mix of grit and total football has rejuvenated Arsenal but his start to the season does not match that overseen by Joe Montemurro with the women’s teamHaving lived in London for a long time I have a lot of friends who are Arsenal fans and, like many of them, I was critical of the club during the final years of Arsène Wenger’s reign as manager. Everything seemed to have gone stale and there was a desperate need for change, which finally arrived in the shape of Unai Emery. Watching on, it’s been interesting to see the immediate, positive impact he has had.The Carabao Cup win against Blackpool on Wednesday made it 13 games unbeaten for Arsenal. Emery has...