# Tikz | Subplots not really alignment [duplicate]

I am having trouble at aligning the following plots (see code below). I have removed the x values to better use the available space. But as you can see in the picutre the horizontal distance is not equal because of the x-labels in the last row. Additionally the labels on the right side are off. I could solve the issue with the y-values by introducing phantom characters but there should be a better way I think.

Is there a way to solve these problems?

\begin{figure}
\centering
\begin{tikzpicture}
% longitudinal speed without disturbance
\begin{axis}[...,
name=plot1,
clip mode=individual,...]
...
\end{axis}
\begin{axis}[...,
name=plot2,
clip mode=individual,
at=(plot1.right of south east), anchor=left of south west,...]
...
\end{axis}
\begin{axis}...\end{axis}
\begin{axis}...\end{axis}
\begin{axis}...\end{axis}
\begin{axis}...\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{figure}


in my barn of different pgfplots diagrams i found the following mwe:

\documentclass[margin=5mm]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.16}
\usetikzlibrary{calc}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}[node distance = 4mm and 6mm]
\begin{axis}[name=plot1,
ylabel style = {align=center},
ylabel={some text in the first line\\$y$ \emph{decreasing} $\to$},
y dir=reverse,
]
\end{axis}
\begin{axis}[name=plot2,
at={($(plot1.east)+(1cm,0)$)},anchor=west,
yticklabel=\empty,
enlargelimits=false]
\end{axis}
\begin{axis}[name=plot3,
at={($(plot1.south)+(0,-1cm)$)},anchor=north,
ylabel style = {align=center},
ylabel={some text in the first line\\$y$ \emph{increasing} $\to$},
enlargelimits=false]
\end{axis}
\begin{axis}[name=plot4,
at={($(plot2.south)+(0,-1cm)$)},anchor=north,
yticklabel=\empty,
y dir=reverse,
]