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After nearly twenty-two years under the control of Arsene Wenger, whoever replaced the Frenchman in the Emirates Stadium dugout was always going to want to stamp his own identity on the Arsenal team.

Unai Emery has certainly been attempting to introduce a new style of play at Arsenal and, despite some setbacks, has stood firm by his ultimate vision for the club.

On the chalkboard

The tactical approach that Emery has adopted for this Arsenal project is built upon the principle of the ball being played out from the back. This means that moves start with the defence, usually the goalkeeper. From there, instead of looking long, the team seeks to lay the foundations of an attacking advance by passing the ball around deep in their own territory in an attempt to manoeuvre themselves into an advantageous position.

This is not a new technique, even to the Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City set the standard for this style of play in their record-breaking title-winning campaign last time out. Jurgen Klopp’s summer purchase of Alisson, a goalkeeper renowned for his ability with the ball at his feet, is a clear indicator of the German coach trying to embed similar practices at Anfield.

However, Emery has experienced some difficulties in getting his new set of players – particularly the veteran between the sticks, Petr Cech – to deliver upon these instructions effectively. Yet, Emery will not compromise upon his ideals, as the benefits for Arsenal of mastering this style of play could be huge.

The difference

Playing out from the back invites pressure. Opposition players take the opportunity to press, close down and harry the defenders/goalkeeper on the ball in order to force them into a mistake. At the moment, Arsenal are making those kinds of errors all too regularly. 

However, the whole point of playing out from the back is to invite exactly that kind of pressure. When the opposition advance and press, they leave gaps in the midfield. A side that excels in playing out from the back is able to move the ball intricately and rapidly – and consistently without failure – around these onrushing opponents and into the vacated spaces behind them.

At this point, far from being hemmed in, the side on the ball suddenly find themselves with a numerical advantage and with frailties in the opposition’s shape to exploit.

Arrival at this level of competency with this style is Emery’s ultimate aim for Arsenal, and he can never get there by abandoning the system now. Guardiola himself had similar issues in his first season at the Etihad Stadium. The reward for his perseverance came in the form of City’s utter domestic dominance last season.

Arsenal don’t have the financial resources to match City, but the system of playing out from the back is symbolic of the Gunners’ ambition and the process of modernisation they’re currently undergoing. It’ll require patience, but it needs sticking with.

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According to The Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa stars Scott Hogan and Keinan Davis are nearing a return to action. 

The duo have not featured thus far this season for Steve Bruce’s men, and would be a major boost to the club’s fortunes upon their return.

Aston Villa have struggled so far this season to replicate their form that they showed at the end of last campaign, and as a result, pressure is mounting on Bruce. The Villans sit in 13th place, having won only three of their nine opening games this season. However, the team were in the exact same position at this stage last year, and the manager was able to turn it around.

The Aston Villa board should not rush to any decisions regarding Bruce future, particularly before these stars return. Republic of Ireland international Hogan will add a lot of dynamism to Villa’s attack, while 20-year-old Davis is hotly tipped to have a bright future in the Premier League. The England under-20 international could well be the man to get Villa going when he returns.

However, scoring hasn’t necessarily been Villa’s biggest weakness this season, rather their profligate defence, which has simply conceded too many goals to make the Premier League hopefuls a threat this season.

Nonetheless, it would still be foolish to make any decision before these two have had a chance to make an impact on Villa’s season.

The Villans head to Bristol City tomorrow, with Bruce fully aware of the importance for his side to pick up some points and avenge their loss to Sheffield Wednesday last weekend at Villa Park.

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Aston Villa are plotting a move to lure Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers back to English football, according to The Daily Record.

What’s the word?

Following a woeful run of just one victory in ten matches across all competitions, Aston Villa relieved Steve Bruce of his duties last week and are in the hunt for a replacement, having suffered another blow with the weekend’s defeat to Millwall.

Villa’s hierarchy now has two weeks to appoint a new boss before the Championship clash with Swansea City and a host of names are floating around as potential candidates for the job – and The Daily Record has thrown Brendan Rodgers’ name into the mix, even though BBC Football reported on Sunday that he ruled himself out of the running.

The report states the club want the Celtic boss to head south this week for an interview and will test the resolve of the Scottish champions by making an official approach for the former Liverpool manager.

A decent option?

After coming extremely close to guiding Liverpool to the Premier League title during his spell at Anfield, Brendan Rodgers has enjoyed a period of extensive success north of the border with Celtic by winning a domestic treble in each of his three seasons in Glasgow.

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This season has been more of a struggle though, with the Bhoys missing out on a spot in the Champions League group stages and sitting third in the table behind Hibernian and Hearts, and while he has suggested he is happy to stay it shouldn’t stop Villa at least teesting the water for a man who would be an ideal successor to Bruce.

The 45-year-old is the sort of figure that can provide an instant improvement at Villa Park due to his wealth of experience, so he should be able to quickly steady the ship.

Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes were exciting signings made by Everton in the summer.

However, both have spent these early stages of the campaign on the sidelines with injuries.

The Toffees will not play again until October 21 when they face Crystal Palace at Goodison Park due to the current international break.

It appears, though, that manager Marco Silva could have some key players available.

The club’s official website revealed on Thursday the four injured players have upped their recovery by taking part in full training this week.

Gomes, Mina, James McCarthy and Beni Baningime all played in a behind-closed-doors training game at Finch Farm.

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The report states that all four could be eligible for Everton’s next Premier League game.

The news has been warmly welcomed by supporters on Twitter.

Everton have had a mixed bag of results so far this season as they have recorded three wins, three draws and two defeats in the top flight.

The club currently sit 11th in the table.

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Swansea boss Graham Potter must throw summer signing Barrie McKay into the starting line-up for the visit to Villa Park on Saturday to offer more of an attacking threat.

The Swans currently sit in 11th place in the Championship table after their relegation from the Premier League in the previous campaign, but Potter will need to get his attacking players firing as they have netted just 12 goals in their opening 12 league games.

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The South Wales side have only conceded nine goals, but the 5ft 9in McKay could come in on the left-hand side against the struggling Villa defence.

The 23-year-old only signed for the Swans in the summer from Nottingham Forest for £500,000, and has provided two assists in his nine Championship appearances so far this season.

So, Swansea fans, should Potter start McKay on Saturday or should he stick with youngster Daniel James following the loss to Ipswich? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

More often than not, the January transfer window is used to recruit players that will act as cover for injured personnel, or to fill in a gap for the remainder of the season.

There have been examples of major money being spent in the winter, but it is not generally a window for marquee signings.

Everton brought in a handful of new faces in the summer following Marco Silva’s appointment as manager.

They have had problems in attack, which has led some to suggest that Silva should buy a new striker in January.

Cenk Tosun has taken time to find his feet, which prompted the manager to move Richarlison up front from the wing.

During a discussion on Reddit, some Everton fans expressed a desire for the club to bring in a new attacker, while a handful believe that the backups in other areas of the pitch should be priorities.

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It’s been plain sailing for Arsenal and Unai Emery so far this season. After a slight blip earlier on the season, the Gunners moved out of port and into the open seas; and they’ve made some tremendous ground.

Leading into the weekend, they had won every single one of their last eleven games – and they were expected to continue that run against Crystal Palace

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and now the Gunners have a rather sizeable task on their hands. More specifically, Unai Emery is facing the biggest test of his tenure so far.

The main thing differentiating the Arsenal of late October and early November from the Arsenal of the summer is the expectation. Emery was relatively pressure free early on in his tenure, as fans were just pleased to move on from Wenger – and most recognised that the transition would be slow.

However, Emery has moved things along very quickly indeed, and now he finds himself with a wealth of expectation on his shoulders. After all, if Arsenal can win eleven in a row, surely that means that they’re able to compete with anyone in the Premier League?

Not to mention, whilst many players had begun to stagnate under Wenger, the true capability of many of the players at the Emirates is now clear for all to see; and that only adds to that expectation.

That said, bouncing back from a disappointing result is never easy. Sure, Arsenal didn’t lose the game, but it likely felt like a loss to many of the Gunners on the field. When you’re on such a roll and going at such speed, even the slightest bump in the road is sizeable.

So, for Emery, the task at hand is big. He’ll need to turn things around fast, and if he’s able to do that, nobody will be able to doubt his credentials.

Thoughts?

Liverpool and Manchester City appear to be the two current favourites for the Premier League title.

Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal must not be discounted, though, as they sit hot on their heels.

Liverpool and City pride themselves on their attacking prowess, and that is largely helped by the fact that they have star quality in the final third.

At Anfield, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have cemented their positions as Jurgen Klopp’s front three.

Last season the trio tore opposition defences apart, but they have taken time to find their rhythm collectively in the current campaign.

As for City, Pep Guardiola has a few more options to choose from, but he generally starts with Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Sadio Mane.

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Earlier this week during a Q&A with fans on Twitter, Manchester United legend Gary Neville told a fan that he preferred Liverpool’s front line to City’s.

This led us to ask you which attack you thought was better, and despite their slow start, Liverpool’s trio have edged it.

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Football fans have taken to Twitter to react to Unai Emery’s choice of coat in the Gunners’ 0-0 draw against Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night, highlighting its resemblance to former boss Arsene Wenger’s famed choice.

The Spaniard was seen roaming the touchline wearing a ridiculously long coat, akin to the one which Wenger used to be seen struggling to do the zip up on during his days in the Emirates dugout.

Fittingly, such was the boring nature of the stalemate against the Portuguese giants, much of the focus ended up being on the former PSG boss’ coat (yes, really). In typical fashion, however, football fans managed to make it a big topic on social media, sparking some hilarious responses on the night that the Gunners qualified from their Europa League group with ease.

Let’s take a look at some of the best tweets…

Aston Villa pulled off a superb win at the weekend as they beat Frank Lampard’s Derby City 3-0 to push Dean Smith’s side up to 11th in the table. 

Under Steve Bruce, Villa had struggled to get into a rhythm this season and as a result of some poor performances and a leaky defence, sacked the manager and replaced him with the superb Brentford boss, Smith.

Going forward, Villa have a wealth of talent and with his brand of attacking football, the likes of Tammy Abraham, Anwar El-Ghazi and Yannick Bolasie will thrive. In fact, Chelsea loanee, Abraham, has already started to show some form as he scored his fifth goal of the season since joining the club.

At the back, Smith had a lot to fix as Villa – without John Terry – were poor but in the last two games, the Birmingham side has kept two clean sheets and already much look improved.

Central to that has been the improved form of Man United loanee, Axel Tuanzebe who has credited his new boss for his improved performances.

The Breakdown

The Man United youngster has played 14 games in the league and the 21-year-old could well become a stalwart for Smith over the whole season. Moreover, with John Terry on the backroom staff, Tuanzebe is only going to learn from the Chelsea legend.

If Tuanzebe can form a solid partnership with James Chester over the next few weeks, Smith may well have fixed the club’s problems at the back and Villa could well be about to put together a run of form together.

Thoughts Villa fans?