Unai Emery’s time in charge of Arsenal is not remembered particularly fondly at the Emirates Stadium.
Unai Emery was appointed Arsenal manager in the summer of 2018, when he was handed the unenviable task of replacing Arsene Wenger in the dugout.
Whilst the time had been very much right for Wenger to move on, with the iconic Frenchman’s golden era at the club long behind him, replacing a legacy manager brings with it many unique challenges.
Emery got off to a good start, but the style of play that his side produced was uninspiring and too many of the signings he made failed to raise the bar at Arsenal. After missing out on Champions League qualification in his first season, and being thrashed by Chelsea in the Europa League final, his days in North London already looked to be numbered.
After a poor start to his second campaign, Emery was sacked in November 2019. Freddie Ljungberg took the reins on an interim basis, before Mikel Arteta was given the job in December.
Denis Suarez defends Unai Emery after Arsenal experience
Emery has gone on to rehabilitate his reputation in the Premier League at Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, Thierry Henry has insisted that Emery could have been successful at Arsenal. The former striker is not the only one of have come out in the coach’s defence either.
Speaking to The Athletic, Denis Suarez has given his verdict on the job Emery did for the Gunners.
The Spanish midfielder endured a disastrous loan stint with Arsenal during Emery’s tenure, when injuries impacted his form and restricted him to just six appearances across all competitions.
He said: “It was disappointing for me, but also for Unai. I know he was criticised for signing me, because he requested me and rejected other options because he knew me.
“Unai is a top coach and I think he was treated very unfairly at Arsenal… People were not as patient with him as they had been with Wenger in certain moments.
“When you change a coach that has been there for so long, you look for a new identity. I think Unai was creating one at the club… Unai took them to a Europa League final and finished in the top five, but they didn’t let him finish the job.
“It’s true that Arsenal are doing very well under Arteta, but it could have been the same with Unai… Plus, if you compare Arteta’s team with the one Unai had at Arsenal, it’s night and day. I’m not sure a single player from Unai’s side would make it into the line-up today.”
Could Emery have been more successful at Arsenal than Mikel Arteta?
Whilst Emery is undeniably a master tactician, and has proven himself capable of winning European silverware, he was never really able to connect with the fans at Arsenal.
Atmospheres at the Emirates Stadium during his time were often dour, as they had been in the latter stages of Wenger’s reign.
Arteta was able to reignite the Arsenal fans, which has certainly helped the team on the pitch to make progress throughout his tenure.
Without that ability to tap into the supporters, there was always a relatively low ceiling on what Emery could achieve at the club.
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