Unai Emery

[LeonW]

I can only think Torres and Dougie are not capable of too much game time.

I think they and Abraham and Barkley aren't at the required fitness levels to start games in quick succession.

They are not going to be playing 15 minutes here and there. Tammy was playing regularly enough before joining us.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Just mentioned on the match thread but may as well repeat it here, what worked at the beginning of the season when we were crap was down to Unai insisting in the belief of his system and tactics. It doesn't work with lesser quality players unfortunately.

He needs to adapt to what he has to play with. He's done it from Day 1 and for the life of me I can't understand why he keeps insisting with something that just doesn't work. I hope he's not feeling sorry for himself because I can tell you, after another shit performance I only have enough sympathy for myself.

[ChicagoLion]

Once I saw the line up I knew we were in trouble.
I have no idea why he thinks the midfield and attacking set up can be successful.

[Drummond]

We didn't start to badly, did we? We showed signs of having the beating if Chelsea and were it not for a kneecap width and toenail length at either end we'd have been leading and who knows. We had to chase it and it didn't work because Chelsea can do what they did to anyone.

Fine margins. We're feeling sorry for ourselves sitting in 4th. In the knockout stages of Europe. And all despite losing our three best players, from the heart of our team.

Let's get some perspective.

We all feel shit and worn out after a long winter but spring is in the air and we're on 51 points, not 21 and with nothing to play for.

We've an aging squad and a few will move on, but this is a project and we're still only part way through.

[ChicagoLion]

Just mentioned on the match thread but may as well repeat it here, what worked at the beginning of the season when we were crap was down to Unai insisting in the belief of his system and tactics. It doesn't work with lesser quality players unfortunately.

He needs to adapt to what he has to play with. He's done it from Day 1 and for the life of me I can't understand why he keeps insisting with something that just doesn't work. I hope he's not feeling sorry for himself because I can tell you, after another shit performance I only have enough sympathy for myself.

If you keep doing what you are doing you will keep getting what you are getting.

[tomd2103]

We didn't start to badly, did we? We showed signs of having the beating if Chelsea and were it not for a kneecap width and toenail length at either end we'd have been leading and who knows. We had to chase it and it didn't work because Chelsea can do what they did to anyone.

Fine margins. We're feeling sorry for ourselves sitting in 4th. In the knockout stages of Europe. And all despite losing our three best players, from the heart of our team.

Let's get some perspective.

We all feel shit and worn out after a long winter but spring is in the air and we're on 51 points, not 21 and with nothing to play for.

We've an aging squad and a few will move on, but this is a project and we're still only part way through.

Agree.  We are on a a downwards trajectory at the moment which we need to arrest, but if we'd been offered this position with 9 games to go at the start of the season, I think we'd all have taken it.  The injuries to McGinn, Tielemans and Kamara have ripped the heartbeat out of the team and the poor last few transfer windows have also come home to roost. 

I do feel some sympathy for Unai as he's now been left with a side that isn't really good enough to compete and a squad of players who look good when they come on for 20 minute cameos, but are pretty abject when they start. 

[TheToffnar]

Love the man, will continue to love him irrespective of results, but can't say I have much sympathy for him at present when he refuses to make wholesale changes to a team that continues to disappoint him and ignores the basic niceties observed between managers just because the result hasn't gone our way.