Unai Emery

[LMAO]

Assuage my worries, brethren.

I swear last preseason and this preseason are similar. We're pressing high up the pitch and playing with intensity. Yet last season, we fell off, stopped pressing, and reduced the intensity a couple months into the season. Preseason Emeryball is something I can get behind and enjoy, but it'll be hard if we have to witness directionless football again.

[theHotHead]

In what way is he a leader

Is it because he has a big head

This!! Took the words right out of my mouth. He is not an organiser or leader, dunno why Swipe Right thinks he is. A leader by example? Nope, I don't see that either.

Just a standard English CB that likes to play the physical game, 2 a penny like I said in the Championship.

[Angelito]

Assuage my worries, brethren.

I swear last preseason and this preseason are similar. We're pressing high up the pitch and playing with intensity. Yet last season, we fell off, stopped pressing, and reduced the intensity a couple months into the season. Preseason Emeryball is something I can get behind and enjoy, but it'll be hard if we have to witness directionless football again.

Europa League.

Have to bin that competition this season from the go. If we play our strongest players in the EL, like we did last season, we're going to run out of gas and look clueless during the final run-in.

[theHotHead]

Emery will get crucified if he marginalises the EL for the PL. He can't afford to do that and I don't think he should do that. We have enough quality to use our full squad for both comps and sprinkle some first teamers in the EL starting line up to avoid burn out.

[Phil71]

Assuage my worries, brethren.

I swear last preseason and this preseason are similar. We're pressing high up the pitch and playing with intensity. Yet last season, we fell off, stopped pressing, and reduced the intensity a couple months into the season. Preseason Emeryball is something I can get behind and enjoy, but it'll be hard if we have to witness directionless football again.

Europa League.

Have to bin that competition this season from the go. If we play our strongest players in the EL, like we did last season, we're going to run out of gas and look clueless during the final run-in.

I said this at the start of last season.

Playing Thursdays & Sundays is no good for the players - especially when you look at the locations of a lot of the games in this competition. Russia and Eastern Europe mostly.

Send Freddy with a reserve squad and keep the core of the players at home.

[DiamondGooner]

Emery will get crucified if he marginalises the EL for the PL. He can't afford to do that and I don't think he should do that. We have enough quality to use our full squad for both comps and sprinkle some first teamers in the EL starting line up to avoid burn out.

This.

Players who were first team last year won't be this year, I'm talking of ..............

AMN, Mustafi, Iwobi, Chambers, Sako, Willock, Nketiah, Mhikitaryan, Guendouzi, Elneny, Nelson, Monreal, Kolasinac (if we get a Tierney).

......... now let me put this delicately.

If this lot (youth excluded) can't get us through the initial rounds to the Quarter finals, then wtf are they doing here?

Teams like FC Qarabagh etc, that team above is more than good enough, its got 7 first team starters from last season ffs.

We should use the early stages of the EL to really put the spotlight on people that will be sold in January if they can't help this team.

[theHotHead]

DG, exactly!! Lets face it if the youth team were able to get us through the early Carling Cup rounds fringe first teamers should be able to get us through to the knockout stages of the EL.

[Angelito]

Assuage my worries, brethren.

I swear last preseason and this preseason are similar. We're pressing high up the pitch and playing with intensity. Yet last season, we fell off, stopped pressing, and reduced the intensity a couple months into the season. Preseason Emeryball is something I can get behind and enjoy, but it'll be hard if we have to witness directionless football again.

Europa League.

Have to bin that competition this season from the go. If we play our strongest players in the EL, like we did last season, we're going to run out of gas and look clueless during the final run-in.

I said this at the start of last season.

Playing Thursdays & Sundays is no good for the players - especially when you look at the locations of a lot of the games in this competition. Russia and Eastern Europe mostly.

Send Freddy with a reserve squad and keep the core of the players at home.

Agreed.

We have a near-epic attacking line-up with our front-4 now. But we have a poverty second string.

That awful competition is too damn long and we don't even play a half-decent side until at least the QFs. We'll cross the EL bridge once our reserves takes us to the QFs/SFs.

[Zedie]

Emery will get crucified if he marginalises the EL for the PL. He can't afford to do that and I don't think he should do that. We have enough quality to use our full squad for both comps and sprinkle some first teamers in the EL starting line up to avoid burn out.

This.

Players who were first team last year won't be this year, I'm talking of ..............

AMN, Mustafi, Iwobi, Chambers, Sako, Willock, Nketiah, Mhikitaryan, Guendouzi, Elneny, Nelson, Monreal, Kolasinac (if we get a Tierney).

......... now let me put this delicately.

If this lot (youth excluded) can't get us through the initial rounds to the Quarter finals, then wtf are they doing here?

Teams like FC Qarabagh etc, that team above is more than good enough, its got 7 first team starters from last season ffs.

We should use the early stages of the EL to really put the spotlight on people that will be sold in January if they can't help this team.

Tbf 2nd season he knows his squad now so shouldn't really be having to use these games to work out who is capable of what and how well they can follow instructions.

I'm expecting a stripped down squad for the openers and an improvement in squad when we face worthy teams.

I just hope we haven't got any horrible runs with massive matches before or after bigger EL games as that will stop rotation somewhat.

Hes got to go for it again imo. Semis year before last finals last, trophy this year.

[alexafc12]

He has to qualify for CL this year. Absolutely no excuses.

[swipe right]

He has no excuses now. This is a very good squad for a top four push.

[LMAO]

Assuage my worries, brethren.

I swear last preseason and this preseason are similar. We're pressing high up the pitch and playing with intensity. Yet last season, we fell off, stopped pressing, and reduced the intensity a couple months into the season. Preseason Emeryball is something I can get behind and enjoy, but it'll be hard if we have to witness directionless football again.

Europa League.

Have to bin that competition this season from the go. If we play our strongest players in the EL, like we did last season, we're going to run out of gas and look clueless during the final run-in.

I said this at the start of last season.

Playing Thursdays & Sundays is no good for the players - especially when you look at the locations of a lot of the games in this competition. Russia and Eastern Europe mostly.

Send Freddy with a reserve squad and keep the core of the players at home.

Agreed.

We have a near-epic attacking line-up with our front-4 now. But we have a poverty second string.

That awful competition is too damn long and we don't even play a half-decent side until at least the QFs. We'll cross the EL bridge once our reserves takes us to the QFs/SFs.

This so much.

Yeah, with Tierney and another CB, we'll have a team that'll be EL favorites, but our backups aren't good enough to where we can consistently rotate and remain in contention for both. I want the focus this season to be on the PL. If it's April and we have one foot in the semis while at the same time being like 10 points clear of 5th and like 10 points off the leaders, then sure, put out a strong lineup in the EL and go for it. But screw gunning for the EL at the cost of top 4 since the path back into the CL is easier through the league than winning a knockout competition.

[swipe right]

Will Emery be able to handle the pressure that comes with a stacked squad? He literally has no place to hide now.

[yadunoe]

Will Emery be able to handle the pressure that comes with a stacked squad? He literally has no place to hide now.

im not putting pressure on him until we have a cb Tierney and a rb

[Zedie]

Yup. Fail to fix our defence, and it's still an EL squad.

Get in a proper CB and LB and that squad should be walking the EL and comfortably securing 4th or higher.

Big week for the clubs immediate future.