Thierry Henry: Unai Emery Needs 'Time' at Arsenal, Top 4 Should Be Focus
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has called on the club's supporters to be patient with under-pressure manager Unai Emery.
The Gunners have been inconsistent to start to the season, with the 2-0 loss to Leicester City before the international break condemning them to five games without a win.
Given the poor results and the uninspiring brand of football, dissatisfaction with Emery has started to intensify among the Arsenal supporters.
Henry, who is the club's all-time record goalscorer, believes more time is required for the former Paris Saint-Germain boss. He also said UEFA Champions League qualification is the limit of the team's capabilities this term, per Omnisport (h/t Sam France of Goal):
"Challenging for the league…listen, it's going to be very difficult because even Manchester City look like they are struggling to follow Liverpool. Let's think about, first and foremost, getting back into the Champions League, which is going to be very difficult, and then from that, see where we can go.
"But all we can do right now as fans is try to support and give people time. It's not easy to come in after Arsene Wenger and perform straight away."
Henry was speaking about the Gunners boss after making a new venture into management himself. He was named as the head coach of Major League Soccer outfit Montreal Impact earlier this month.
The job will be his first since an ill-fated spell at Monaco, something Henry said he feels he's learned from:
As of yet, it doesn't appear as though Emery is close to being axed despite the sluggish start to the Premier League season at the Emirates Stadium. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, the Gunners will wait until the end of the campaign before making any decision in regards to the manager.
Arsenal's head of football Raul Sanllehi and managing director Vinai Venkatesham also recently said they maintain faith in the current boss:
Per Mark Mann-Bryans of the Press Association, Arsenal have taken a different approach to their rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who axed Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday:
At the moment, it feels as though Emery has a lot of work to do to win over the significant section of the fanbase that has turned on him.
In terms of results, only a win will do for Arsenal against Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday. Saints visit the Emirates in rotten form, having lost three in a row in the top flight, including the record 9-0 defeat to Leicester City.
Supporters will be looking for the team to operate with attacking intent against a side so low on confidence. If they don't, then Henry's calls for calm are likely to fall on deaf ears among the disgruntled fans.
