It has been a chastening ten days or so for Arsenal since arguably their definitive performance of the season; the Europa League quarter-final, second leg display at Napoli, which rightfully earned a hat-tip from Carlo Ancelotti. It was a largely controlled, authoritative display that seemed to suggest that Unai Emery had properly stamped his mark on this team.
Everything since, in the space of three successive – and highly damaging – Premier League defeats has debunked much of those thoughts. Looking ahead to Thursday’s semi-final with Valencia, which those domestic reverses have only made more vital in terms of securing a return to the Champions League (not to mention the satisfaction of a first piece of European silverware since 1994), Emery does at least meet his old club in a moment where they are not at their best either.
Valencia hit the wall
Having begun 2019 with the club’s longest unbeaten run since 1932 – and bear in mind Valencia have won two La Liga titles and reached two Champions League finals in this century – they have come unstuck in recent weeks, losing three of the last five in La Liga, including the last two in a row, right at the moment when the fourth and final Champions League spot was beckoning.
This might sound familiar to Arsenal fans. Whether it’s mental or physical fatigue (or a combination of the two), Marcelino’s team don’t look fresh at the moment with Sunday’s home loss to Eibar a case in point. It was a turgid display but Valencia still had the chances to win it. Unfortunately for them, Kevin Gameiro in particular couldn’t take those opportunities and instead of lauding a win that would have taken them fourth, they finished the day in sixth after Charles’ late, late winner for the visitors.
Missed chances prove costly
Taking chances has been an issue for Valencia all season. They’ve scored just 40 times in La Liga, less than any other team in the top six, despite bringing in extra firepower last summer in the shape of Gameiro and Michy Batshuayi (the Chelsea loanee was so unsuccessful that his deal was terminated in winter), not to mention the permanent arrival of Gonçalo Guedes from Paris Saint-Germain. If they could have converted just a few of their 16 draws in La Liga into wins, their top four spot would be all but secure already.
Emery, a stickler for detail, will know all about Valencia but equally, they will know all about him. Arsenal are [2.06] favourites for Thursday’s match in north London for a reason (with Valencia at [4.1]), and the visitors will acknowledge that. Forget the league form for a minute, because if we’re judging Arsenal just on their European form, they look formidable.
They played pretty much the perfect two-legged tie against Napoli, despite the Serie A side having a vastly-experienced coach – who made his side a serious threat in the Champions League group stages against Liverpool and PSG this season – and being hotly-tipped as potential winners.
Emery conforming to type?
Many in Spain will therefore be highly sceptical of Arsenal’s domestic difficulties affecting their ability to edge Valencia. In the last of Sevilla‘s three Europa League-winning seasons under Emery, they dialled in the closing stanza of their Liga campaign, winning just one and losing seven of their last nine before going onto to sweep Liverpool away in the Basel final with a strong second-half display.
Seasoned Emery-watchers, then, have every reason to believe that history might be repeating itself – this time, for Arsenal’s benefit.
Source: Betfair Europa League
