A good start?
We’re only a handful of games into the Unai Emery era, but have you caught yourself wondering how his start to life in the Premier League compares?
The Spaniard is just the latest in a string of top coaches from Europe that have come into English football after establishing their reputations elsewhere. What does Emery’s beginning at the Gunners look like when measured against compatriot Pep Guardiola, for example?
Based on their first five Premier League matches, let’s compare Emery to some of the managers at the Gunners’ main rivals. How did they get on when they were Premier League newcomers?
Starting with Emery himself, Arsenal lost their first two games under him to the past two champions in Manchester City and Chelsea respectively. Although Gunners form his since picked up and they won the next three, there’s been no clean sheet in any of those matches with nine goals conceded.
Arsenal, who are 2/1 for a top four finish among the latest 888Sport offers for Premier League football, have failed to score just once under Emery and averaged two goals per game. It leaves him with nine points, so where does that put him ranked against his peers?
Pep Guardiola
Man City boss Guardiola had the perfect start to his Premier League career in 2016-17. The Sky Blues took a maximum 15 points from his first five games in charge, netting 15 goals and scoring in every match.
Although a defensive record of just four conceded makes it seem as though City were miserly at the back, they in fact kept just one clean sheet in those early games of the Guardiola era at the Etihad. Still, his 100 per cent record as a Premier League newcomer sets a standard that compatriot Emery fell well short of.
Jose Mourinho
Remember way back in 2004 when The Special One first came to England? Mourinho was a much more jovial figure then, during his debut campaign with Chelsea. Now in charge of Manchester United, the Portuguese boss went unbeaten in his first five Premier League games with four wins and a draw.
Only Aston Villa denied Mourinho the perfect start to his first spell with Chelsea. Arsenal’s London rivals only failed to score once – against that opposition – who held the Stamford Bridge side to a goalless draw.
With just the one conceded and six scored, Chelsea under Mourinho the first time kept an unparalleled four clean sheets at the start of his reign. Both his current side United and old club are clear top four rivals the Gunners have to contend with, and the former are evens with 888Sport to repeat such a finish.
Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp arrived in England partway through the 2015-16 season and started off worse than Emery in points terms. Two wins, two draws and a defeat for the German means he only picked up eight from those first five matches.
Like Emery, though, the Reds failed to score once and there was just one clean sheet during a tough run of early fixtures. The Anfield faithful saw their side concede an average of a goal per game under Klopp at the start, netting a total of nine at the other end.
Given they’ve emerged as Man City’s most likely challengers for the Premier League title, Liverpool are a best-price 9/4 with 888Sport in the outright season betting. Arsenal, meanwhile, are already as big as 66/1.
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How would you compare his start with Mauricio Pochettino and Maurizio Sarri?