Why Unai Emery isn’t at fault for the loss against Crystal Palace

Arsenal wasted the chance to go into the third position on the Premier League table yesterday after they didn’t defeat Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium. Unai Emery has been heavily criticized for selecting a poor selection which saw them get beaten 2-3 at their own backyard.

Arsenal started with a pivot of Elneny and Guendouzi and the fans believe that this was a mistake since Torreira was left on the bench. Ainsley Maitland-Niles also got benched for Carl Jenkinson to get a chance to also feature for the gunners but that didn’t work out well as the gunners looked lost in the first 45 minutes with one goal down.

Let’s take a look at a few points which can redeem Unai Emery from being guilty for the loss against Crystal Palace. The Arsenal boss brought in Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Iwobi, and these two instantly changed the game and the gunners equalised through Mesut Ozil in the first minutes of the game. This early second goal reset the score line back to 0-0 with more than 40 minutes left to play.

It was clear that Crystal Palace was going to concede another goal since Arsenal put pressure on them and it’s just that mistake by Shkodran Mustafi that ruined the entire game because you’d even look at the face of Unai Emery with a lot of sadness, and if the coach felt like that then what about the players on the field? That goal made the Arsenal players to lose that early momentum which Unai Emery had brought into the squad by introducing Iwobi and Maitland-Niles.

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on April 21, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

This wasn’t the first time that Unai Emery used a poor starting eleven but all that was usually forgotten because the changes that he made rectified everything hence Arsenal winning those matches. Yes, everyone has his own opinion but I believe Unai Emery was not guilty for that loss because he fixed everything at the start of the second half until the mistake by Shkodran Mustafi.

Him using that lineup is also justifiable because Arsenal will play three matches in about 10 days and rotating the squad was his only option to avoid injuries. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is Arsenal’s only reliable right back at the moment and the gunners are in the semi finals of Europa League so him getting injured would see the gunners think about a scenario of the gunners using Carl Jenkinson in the UEL final if they eliminate Valencia. Torreira couldn’t start because he has a slight injury that doesn’t allow him to play a full match.