West Ham United boss David Moyes appears to have aimed a subtle dig at former Arsenal manager Unai Emery ahead of the London derby on Boxing Day.
The Premier League is finally back after the World Cup break and we can’t wait to see our beloved Arsenal again. We’ve had a magnificent campaign so far, but it will all mean nothing if we don’t capitalise in the second half of the season.
Our first test is against Moyes’ West Ham on Monday.
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David Moyes aims subtle dig at Unai Emery before Arsenal vs West Ham
Arsenal have been the best team in the country in the Premier League so far this season.
Mikel Arteta’s men have lost just one game all campaign, and we’re currently on top of the Premier League table – five points clear of defending champions Manchester City.
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The World Cup break arguably came at a bad time for Arsenal because it put a pause on our momentum. That could give West Ham a much better opportunity to get something out of the game now compared to six weeks ago.
Moyes, however, does not agree.
The Scot was asked in his press conference if now is the best time to face Arsenal because it’s the first game back after the World Cup. The Hammers boss did not think so and claimed the only time it was easy to take on the Gunners was over three years ago – before Arteta took charge of the club.
That means, Moyes is referring to Emery’s second season as Arsenal boss, which was an absolute disaster.
He said, as per Football London: “I think the best time to play Arsenal was about three years ago.
“I think that’s when they were, I think probably since Mikel has come and he’s done a brilliant job. Got them going, won a couple of trophies. They’ve sort of gone against the grain a wee bit where people thought it wouldn’t happen and they’ve produced a very good team.
“So yeah, three years ago I think would have been a good time probably.”
The Insider’s View:
Arsenal have had plenty of ups and down in Arteta’s tenure as well, but Moyes isn’t wrong here – the best time for any club to get some points off us was back in 2019, during Emery’s last few weeks as our boss.
The Spaniard is a phenomenal manager, there’s no debate on that front. He has won trophies at multiple clubs and his CV speaks for itself. However, his time at Arsenal, especially his final nine games, was a disaster.
Arsenal won just one of Emery’s last nine games in charge. It almost felt like anyone could easily beat us – perhaps that was what Moyes was referring to in his press conference.
Emery was rightly shown the door in the end, and Arsenal are in a much better place today as a result.
