This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
Published on October 23, 2019, Arsenal manager Unai Emery has asked fans to give him time as doubts grow over his ability to lead the Gunners back into the Champions League.
Emery's side suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at promoted Sheffield United on Monday, leaving them fifth in the Premier League after just four wins in their opening nine games.
Despite a promising start to his tenure as Arsene Wenger's successor, Arsenal's form tailed off at the end of last season, narrowly missing out on a top-four finish and losing to Chelsea in the Europa League final.
"It's normal to have in different and difficult moments criticism for our work and my job," Emery said ahead of his side's Europa League clash with Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes. "We need to accept that.
"My focus in the next matches is thinking about how we can improve and also we need to think how we can, little-by-little, progress and achieve our immediate targets," he added.
The target for Emery and the club hierarchy is a return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season, despite a restricted budget for summer signings.
Emery was heavily backed in the transfer market with the arrivals of Nicolas Pepe, Kieran Tierney, David Luiz, and Dani Ceballos, but has been criticized for his repeated refusal to field Mesut Ozil, the highest earner at the club.
