Qarabag on a Thursday night might not have been the kind of trip that players would be queueing up to take part in. Last season Arsène Wenger was in the habit of leaving his entire first XI at home for Europa League group games to conserve energy for Premier League assignments. But Unai Emery sees each game – no matter where or against whom – as a stepping stone towards the improvement he craves. This latest win was notable for the fact three different players – Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Emile Smith Rowe and Mattéo Guendouzi – collected a first goal for Arsenal to think about on the long journey home from Azerbaijan.
Eight consecutive wins, a steady start in the Europa League, a fraction outside the Premier League top four on goal difference, a new goalkeeper in Bernd Leno who looks full of smart saves, first senior goals for two different teenagers in Baku: what’s not to like about Arsenal’s fresh start under Emery at the moment? Well, here’s the bizarre rub. For all the positives, and there are plenty, there is still something inescapably incoherent about the way they are playing. They get going in fits and starts, but defensively they remain unconvincing enough to routinely gift their opposition a bunch of clear chances every match. Qarabag were not short of opportunities.
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