Arsenal boss Emery branded ‘Unai Wenger’ because nothing has changed amid claims he’s missing a trick by not playing Ozil
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ARSENAL boss Unai Emery has been slammed by Paul Merson who branded the Spaniard "Unai Wenger" because nothing at the club has changed.
Despite coming from behind to draw in the north London derby, the former Gunners player believes his old team are missing a trick by not playing Mesut Ozil.
The Emirates stalemate has left Arsenal just outside the Champions League qualifying spots in fifth place after their first four games.
And Merson argued that the result highlighted how little things had changed since Emery had replaced Wenger after 22 years at the helm.
Speaking to he said: "The north London derby was a great spectacle, a proper game, and Arsenal would have taken a draw when they were two goals down. But has anything changed at Arsenal? I don't think so.
Has anything changed at Arsenal? I don't think so. It's like Unai Wenger is running things at the moment.
Paul Merson on Unai Emery
"Arsenal were commended for not collapsing at Liverpool the week before, credit where credit's due, but nothing has changed. It's like Unai Wenger is running things at the moment.
"Every time Tottenham broke they looked like they were going to score, Arsenal were that open. The midfield issues were serious."
“You've got Granit Xhaka who goes around kicking people and getting booked.
"Yes, Matteo Guendouzi found a great pass for the equaliser, but you cannot rely on him or Lucas Torreira to thread the ball through the eye of a needle on a consistent basis.
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“In Xhaka, Guendouzi and Torreira, Arsenal have three players who are not creative.
"They are three holding players, but every time Tottenham broke, they had the freedom of the Emirates.
"I couldn't believe what I was watching. It was reminiscent of when Arsene Wenger was managing.”
On what needs to change, Merson added: “Arsenal's front three are as good as any in the Premier League, on a par with Manchester City and Liverpool without a doubt, but great attackers rely on service.
"It doesn't matter how good you are, if you're not getting the ball you're not going to score. It's a simple as that.
“With a lack of service Arsenal are reliant on their strikers scoring brilliant goals week in, week out, but that's not going to happen all the time and that's going to be the problem.
“Unai Emery has missed a trick with a midfield player. The only solution I see would be to play the front three with Mesut Ozil in the hole behind them and have two holding in front of the back four.
"The four attackers can get on with scoring goals and then the rest can try and keep them out at the other end.”
Ozil is yet to play a single minute for Arsenal this season and has missed a staggering 96 games since signing for Arsenal six years ago.
And ahead of the north London derby, Emery admitted that the German's fitness problems are beyond his control and he worries that the player might never be available on a regular basis.