Unai Emery criticised for ‘naive’ tactics in Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Man City
Steve McMahon criticises the Arsenal manager for his "naive" tactics in the north London side's 2-0 loss to Manchester City
Unai Emery has been criticised for his “naive” tactics in Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the Premier League.
The Gunners appointed Emery as their new manager following Arsenal’s sixth-placed finish under Arsene Wenger at the end of the 2017-18 Premier League campaign.
Arsenal signed five players in the summer transfer window to improve Emery’s squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
The north London outfit adopted an attacking approach to the visit of the defending champions as Petr Cech was tasked with building play from the back despite his role as a goalkeeper.
Manchester City eased to a comfortable 2-0 win over Arsenal to raise questions about Emery’s approach at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.
Former Liverpool FC midfielder McMahon questioned Emery’s tactics for their Premier League opener.
“It’s very naive at the moment; you’ve got to put it into practice first,” McMahon told Sky Sports’ The Debate.
“It’s the wrong time in the first game of the season, against Manchester City, the best team in the league.
“Pep had the best players when he was doing it – some of these couldn’t kick a ball down a hill.
“It’s not just about the goalkeeper, it’s square pegs in round holes. Your style is only as good as the quality of your footballers.”
Arsenal finished in sixth place in the Premier League table last term to miss out on a Champions League spot for the second successive campaign.
The Gunners lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-finals last term to miss out on a trophy in Wenger’s final season in charge.
The north London side haven’t won the Premier League title since 2003-04 when the Gunners finished the campaign unbeaten.
