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The Emery Project

Playing in the top flight of English football offers up a sea of opportunities to clubs up and down the country, with one of the most obvious ones being the chance to try and make a statement against the reigning Champions of England. As we prepare for the first weekend of the Premier League, one of the biggest questions that fans have is will Arsenal be able to make a statement against the seemingly unstoppable Manchester City on Sunday.

It’s a tough one to answer in more ways than one, but if anyone is going to give Arsenal fans the confidence they need to believe that they can come away with all three points, it’s Unai Emery. The Spaniard has been a revelation since walking through the doors of the Emirates a few months back, with many fans crediting him as the main reason behind why so many of them are confident heading into the new season.

Unlike the years that have gone by, though, more and more supporters are starting to adopt realistic ambitions as opposed immediately believing that they can win the Premier League. They know that getting back into the Champions League is a major priority for the club, and anything else that comes alongside that will be viewed as a welcome bonus.

Of course, there are easier starts to be had than taking on City in the opening game, but the age-old thought process is that you have to play everyone twice – and it’s true.

It doesn’t matter what order they come in because you need to be prepared for everything that comes your way, especially in a division that has often been called the best in world football alongside La Liga.

One of the best things that Emery has been able to do is bring in a series of new faces, all of whom are considered to be potential game changers for the club. Sokratis, Leno and Lichtsteiner are expected to be central figures in their often leaky defence, whereas Torreira and Guendouzi are viewed as the future of the club’s midfield unit as they begin the process of trying to make their team feel more well-rounded.

They all possess arguably the best attacking partnership in the PL, too, with Aubameyang and Lacazette both possessing a fantastic goalscoring ability. If they can start to function as a unit and bounce off of each other, then the Gunners could be in for a treat over the course of the next nine months.

In terms of the City game, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not they can pull a win out of the bag, because we’ve seen so many upsets down the years that reflect this one in so many ways. If we’re thinking about the bigger picture, though, then Arsenal fans should be somewhat happy to hear that they’re the 6th favourites to lift the PL trophy this season. If that isn’t a sign that everyone is already writing them off, then nothing is.