UNAI EMERY believes the attempted car jacking of Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac and Granit Xhaka’s clash with Arsenal fans have “destablised” his squad this season.
The Spaniard has also blamed the surprise departure of skipper Laurent Koscielny, as well as teething problems with new signings for the North Londoners’ poor run this season.
Unai Emery has blamed Mesut Ozil’s car-jacking, Grant Xhaka”s fan clash and Laurent Koscielny”s shock exit for Arsenal’s problems this termEmery fears off-the-pitch issues have impacted on his side’s chase for a top four spot this season.
The Gunners head to Leicester today on the back of a run of one win in six games.
They will be without skipper Xhaka, who has ruled himself out indefinitely.
Ozil seems to be back in the frame after his car-jacking in August.
But Emery does not fear for his job despite the dire run.
He told Sky Sports: “We have some players who need time to adapt and some things have happened which mean the team has not been stable, but I am convinced that we are going to improve and find ways to win, which is the most important thing, but while playing well as well.
“The circumstances with Ozil, Kolasinac, Koscielny and, remember also, that if he [Koscielny] was here as captain, that would give us no problem. Then Xhakas circumstances.
“When I speak to the club, they always transmit calm to me, which I try to transmit to the players and to the fans, knowing that we have an important objective this season.
“I have explained many times that I don’t feel pressure. Pressure is just what people talk about.
“I am demanding of myself and I feel responsible. I prepare for games with those things in mind. Whether we win or whether we lose, I prepare in the same way.
“People have opinions and that’s logical. We are privileged in our position at Arsenal that we have a lot of fans who support us and also methods of communication that put us in contact with them.
“When you win, they are happy and they applaud. When you lose, they protest. But this happens at all the teams I have been at.
“Last year we had a good season, reaching the final of the Europa League and getting to the final weeks of the season with a chance of finishing in the top four, which is the objective, to get into the Champions League.
“This year is another step. We are there in the Europa League, but in the Premier League we are a few points behind where we want to be.
“Of course, we have to make progress. It’s our job to rebuild our confidence, to get the wins we need to make the fans happy and to see the Arsenal that we all want.
“I am confident that we will do that.”
“We are in a process and in any process, you have to have patience.
“This year at Arsenal, we have made many changes – necessary changes – but we must have patience while we blend the squad together to get the results we want.
“We are playing a lot of games and each game gives us more information.
“I have to know how to use different players in different moments so that in the future they can help us – or not – depending on how they respond.”
Ozil’s isolation from the team has been well documented, causing a reported division in the dressing room, with some backing the German and others backing the manager.
RECORD BUY PEPE’S LOSS OF FORM
Emery said: “Mesut Ozil has characteristics that are very good for the team. When he is available, when he is consistent and positive in the day-to-day, he is an important player for our game, because we need a player like him.”
This has been compounded by the poor form of 72million record signing Pepe.
But Emery believes the Ivorian will come good.
He said: “He just needs time, and to be demanding of himself.
“We are with him, working individually with him and showing him videos of where he can improve.
“The intensity of the game and the opponents in England demands a lot of you.
“He has to adapt to that, and we have to help him so that he can keep taking steps forward.
“His process of adapting to the team is positive, but a little slower than what we wanted.
“We have to be patient as well as demanding and what’s more, we have to ensure that he takes responsibility himself.
“He is not quite at the level yet to be able to play in every game.
“I believe, and I have always believed, that he needs to play in order to reach that level, but obviously there are also games when other players deserve to play. I use the players who I think are going to help us most in each moment.
“But we bought Pepe knowing that the first year would be difficult, that it would be a year of adaptation. We want that to happen as quickly as possible, but we are seeing that we have to have patience.”
