Stay Strong Arsenal Fans – Unai Emery’s Season Opener Against Man City Is Not As Bad As It Looks

Why Arsenal playing Man City in the first week is actually good for the club

New Arsenal coach Unai Emery faces a tough start to life at the Emirates. The Premier League fixtures have been announced and Arsenal will Manchester City and Chelsea in their first two games.

The Gunners will take on the champions at the Emirates during the opening weekend of the 2018/19 season, before travelling to Stamford Bridge for a London derby in their second game.

Having finished outside the top-four in two consecutive seasons, Emery has an uphill task ahead of him as the Gunners have fallen behind the big boys of the Premier League.

And the last thing Emery would have wanted was to face Manchester City on the opening weekend of the new season but the Spaniard, instead, has expressed his excitement about the fixtures.

However, the Gunners lost twice in the league last season to City (3-0 at home and 3-1 away), and they were also humbled in the Carabao Cup in February by the same opponents.

While this could create a lot of tension among the fans, they must remember that it will be Emery in the dugout and not Arsene Wenger. In fact, the fans must show their support to Emery and co.

In return, the Spanish manager will have a solid chance to prove his credentials against the reigning Premier League champions. Emery has a forgettable record against Guardiola so far and he will have to prepare meticulously to finally get one over his compatriot.

The Gunners have already signed Stephan Lichtsteiner while the likes of Sokratis and Lucas Torreira remain in the pipeline. Hence, there’s plenty for Arsenal fans to be excited about.

That said, the transition at Arsenal will be a tough task. Emery must strive to be man who steadies the ship from sinking completely. The club hierarchy have shown faith in Emery and the Spaniard has to go for the kill from the first game.

How about knocking down his Spanish compatriot in Guardiola in the very first game of the season? Sounds sweet, doesn’t it? That’s the magic of playing the champions during the inaugural weekend of the new campaign.

Even if Arsenal lose to City, Emery and his team should leave a marker before travelling to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea the next weekend.