Arsenal legend Perry Groves has criticised Unai Emery's management of the club, citing a lack of structure and claiming the club have got worse under his guidance.
The Spaniard was considered to have brought a breath of fresh air into the Emirates Stadium when he succeeded Arsene Wenger 18 months ago, initially catching the eye and guiding the Gunners to an eye-catching unbeaten run.
However, things have steadily declined since the early months of his tenure and 2019 has been a disappointing year, with a loss of form towards the back end of last season costing Arsenal a top-four spot and defeat in the Europa League final condemning the Gunners to another season outside of the Champions League.
Those problems have persisted this term, with Arsenal eight points behind the top-four and failing to perform, suffering a sequence of disappointing results.
As such, the pressure on Emery has increased significantly and the dreaded vote of confidence came from the board after last week's defeat to top-four rivals Leicester City, with the former Paris Saint-Germain boss not tipped to last the remainder of the season.
That has led to Groves issuing a damning comparison of Emery's side compared to the team he inherited from Wenger , as he stated his belief that the North London side have regressed under his leadership.
“I think, when he first went in there, there was an intensity because it was too comfortable under Arsene Wenger and he made his stance [clear]. The closing down was a lot more intense – covering more ground," he told TalkSport.
“He went 22 games unbeaten over a little period and in the game against Spurs they went 2-1 down and came back. There was a real buzz about the Emirates.
“And what has happened is he’s got rid of the players he didn’t want, like the Monreals, the Petr Cechs, and Aaron Ramseys but then the players that have been brought in, whether it’s by him or the sporting director, they have actually got steadily worse.
“That intensity has got less and less and less with a team that he is supposed to be constructing. The thing from watching from the outside is there doesn’t seem to be a desire to do the horrible stuff.
“The thing with the Arsenal situation with Unai Emery is, if you watch them against Leicester, and I’ve been watching Arsenal a lot this year, there is no structure. There doesn’t seem to be any philosophy.
“Unai Emery doesn’t seem to know his best formation, he doesn’t seem to know what players to play in that formation and I think the players have lost confidence in him. I don’t think the players are getting him at the minute.”
