The start of a new season can almost be considered quite a relaxed affair, at least in terms of the fixture list and space between games for players to stay fresh, but as Arsenal head into the real nitty-gritty of the campaign, the team now faces the challenging prospect of playing games every three or four days.
Inevitably, such a packed calendar of games will bring important selection decisions for Unai Emery and the chance to rotate his squad, which seems to be an opportunity the Spaniard is relishing. It’s also a key ingredient towards keeping every player in the squad on their toes, ready to serve the needs of their manager and team at a moment’s notice.
During his Europa League preview press conference, ahead of the game against FC Vorskla Poltava, there were strong indications that Emery was getting ready shuffle his pack against the Ukrainian outfit. “We are going to change things to give players the opportunities to find minutes,” he told reporters gathered in the press room.
That said, while also suggesting that the “best 11 will play” at the Emirates, this was by no means any clear indication towards which eleven Emery had in mind. “Every match, each moment, it’s about finding the best performances with the players,” he explained, indicating that what he considers to be his best eleven, could change with some considerable frequency from now onwards.
“We have four competitions. Tomorrow is the Europa League, Sunday is Premier League, then it’s Carabao Cup and then we’re going to play in FA Cup,” Emery underlined, conscious that to successfully challenge for any silverware this season, he’ll need to rely on each and every one of his players.
Nevertheless, even with outright football betting odds at 66/1 suggesting Arsenal are considered rank outsiders to win the Premier League this season, as far as Emery is concerned, it remains the priority bread and butter competition for his team. “The Premier League is the first competition because it’s giving us a big responsibility, maybe bigger than the others, in the season,” he underlined, simply pointing out the fact there are 38 games to play, all deserving equal focus.
“Other competitions are also very important too,” Emery was just as quick to point out, regarding the other trio of cup competitions packing the Arsenal fixture list, which further reinforces the need for him to manage his squad well during the coming months. There will always be a strong affinity with the Europa League, given the success achieved with Sevilla FC in the competition, but the EFL Cup and FA Cup will undoubtedly be viewed with equal importance.
Following what seemed to be a long and drawn out conclusion to the Arsene Wenger era, brings new hopes and expectations from Arsenal fans, eager for the reign of Emery to gradually evolve with a flourish. The start to the 2018-19 campaign was inevitably difficult, but subsequent results have been far more positive.
With barely any time to breathe between games now, Unai Emery’s rotation policy could offer some insight as to what we might expect, and just how ambitious his plans are for success, beyond the habitual enthusiasm and hopes outlined regularly in press conferences. After all, it’s what happens on the pitch that matters the most.
