Arsenal are beginning to show signs that they have lost faith in Unai Emery, according to former Republic of Ireland defender Gary Breen.

The focus on Emery's premiership at the Emirates was sharpened after Granit Xhaka's dramatic reaction to his substitution against Crystal Palace.

Breen believes that the noises from the dressing room are beginning to show that Emery might have lost it.

"People were so frustrated with the last decade under Arsene Wenger that there was an excitement that perhaps Emery was going to come in and change it," said Breen.

"You could see it changing; people were coming and being accountable for their performances.

"The biggest concern for me would be that now we are starting to hear that the players are finding it difficult to understand what Emery wants.

"When you start hearing that type of talk, you start to think that this is the dressing room flexing its muscles a little bit."

Unai Emery: on his way out?

As to why, Breen drew on personal experience of elite football dynamics.

"They are sensing that the manager is a little bit vulnerable, moreso than he was when he initially came in, and they are probably using that as a crutch now for their performances.

"The Arsenal fans know it - they are an educated bunch - they know that this squad is lacking in quality. There are some stand-out performers like Aubameyang, but defensively it is just nowhere near the levels that you would judge Arsenal on.

"This is not by mid-table standards; you're judging by the best of the best, the George Graham defence that Wenger inherited, but then also the one he built with Sol Campbell.

"They are nowhere near that level."

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