Emery undaunted by Arsenal criticism

Unai Emery remains confident Arsenal are heading in the right direction after brushing off criticism of recent performances. The Gunners produced one of their worst showings of the season so far at Sheffield United on Monday, with Lys Mousset’s goal handing the Blades a 1-0 win.
The north London outfit have come in for plenty of criticism in the aftermath of that defeat, with Emery’s team having struggled to create many clear-cut openings against the promoted South Yorkshire side as some old failings came back to haunt them.
Arsenal were once again exposed at set-pieces, while their struggles away from home in the Premier League show no sign of coming to an end after now taking 11 points from the last 30 available on their travels.
Emery’s decision to omit Kieran Tierney, Hector Bellerin and Mesut Ozil has also drawn the supporters’ ire and the former Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla boss appears to be a man coming under increasing pressure.
The experienced Spaniard is not letting himself get dragged down by the increased volume of his critics and says he’s ready to stick by his game-plan, insisting he can see signs of improvement from the team. “In my career it’s normal to have difficult moments and criticism for our work and my job,” Emery said. “We are in one point of view. The supporters’ point of view and their opinion, we need to accept that. “The most important is the club and team. Our objective is clear on where we want to get. I am very confident in the players, in our job, in our work, in the club strategy and in our way.”
In Emery’s 47 games in charge of Arsenal, the Spaniard’s record is now slightly worse than that of Arsene Wenger’s final 47 matches at the helm.
Wenger’s last season in charge saw the Gunners win just four times away from home in the Premier League. However, Emery seems confident of avoiding a similar fate, believing there were positives to take from the loss at Sheffield United.
The 47-year-old claims the team has a better balance than at times last season and feels results will start to arrive, claiming his new-look side are still getting used to a change in personnel and to his preferred system.