Emery in the spotlight
Unai Emery faces a daunting task to lift Arsenal out of the doldrums as the Gunners head into a new Premier League season without Arsene Wenger as their manager for the first time in 22 years.
Emery was hired to replace Wenger following the Frenchman's exit at the end of a dismal campaign which saw Arsenal labour to a sixth place finish in the Premier League.
Arsenal's Premier League opener against champions Manchester City on Sunday will provide an early look at how Emery is faring in cleaning up the mess left by Wenger at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal had been stuck in a downward spiral for years and with Wenger unable to reverse the decline, owner Stan Kroenke finally dispensed with the most successful manager in his club's history.
Wenger's remarkable feats in the first half of his reign will stand the test of time, but few Arsenal supporters lamented his departure after 14 years without a league title.
Arsenal have fallen so far behind their top-four rivals that, at present, it is unthinkable Emery could ever match his predecessor's haul of three Premier Leagues and seven FA Cups.
Yet despite Arsenal's reduced status, Emery, who parted ways with Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season, jumped at the chance to follow in Wenger's footsteps.
The 46-year-old Spaniard arrives with an intriguing pedigree, having enjoyed success with PSG, only to pay the price for failing to fulfil the club's desire to win the Champions League.
Returning to the Champions League via a top four finish in the Premier League will be Emery's main target, yet knocking one of City, Manchester United, Liverpool or Tottenham from those positions, and also overtaking Chelsea, is a tough proposition.
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