Ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery has urged the Gunners board to give more time to Mikel Arteta than they gave him.
The Spaniard, who is now at the helm at Villarreal, took over from Arsene Wenger in the summer of 2018. He led us to the final of the Europa League in his debut season, which was impressive at the time.
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However, we missed out on finishing in the top four despite having one foot in it, lost the Europa League final to Chelsea and started the following season in a terrible fashion. That dampened the mood around the Emirates and Emery was shown the door.
Arsenal replaced him with Arteta and the board have stuck by him in difficult times. Emery has now urged them to keep their faith in his compatriot, who he believes will succeed if he is given enough time.
Emery: Arsenal have to be patient with Arteta
He said, as per Football London: “The Premier League is a very difficult competition. There is a lot of important teams there and Arsenal’s process is a natural thing. There are several processes they have to overcome. I had to work coming in after Arsene Wenger.
“We lost the Europa League against Chelsea, the next year we didn’t start too well and I think Arteta should build on these improvements. This is a process that needs a bit of time to execute a game plan. I am convinced that we need to let managers work, we need to have patience.
“At Arsenal, we needed to be patient and we need to be patient. We need to trust Arteta. It’s a question of patience of confidence, patience takes time and I can see a club and a team that with Arteta, with time, they will make it.”
The Insider’s View:
Whether Emery deserved more time at Arsenal is a conversation for another day, but the former Arsenal boss is spot on about Arteta.
With the 39-year-old at the helm, Arsenal may not have done enough in terms of points in the Premier League, but we have definitely improved in many areas of the pitch. We are a lot more organised than we were before, and apart from when our players decide to shoot themselves in the foot, we are a difficult side to beat.
Let’s hope Arsenal go all the way and win the Europa League this season. However, even if we fail, Arsenal should not take any drastic decisions over Arteta’s future, especially after a freak season like this one.
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