Former Arsenal winger and club legend Robert Pires has told Stan Kroenke that Unai Emery should have been given more time as Gunners' manager. Since leaving Arsenal, Emery has taken Villarreal to new levels highlighted by their Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Bayern Munich last night.
The Spaniard has a history of being successful in Europe having won the Europa League three times with Sevilla before doing the same with the Yellow Submarine last season. Emery guided the Gunners to a fifth-place finish in the 2018/29 season - the highest position in four seasons - before being sacked and replaced by Mikel Arteta.
Pires, who played for both Arsenal and Villarreal, believes Emery deserved longer in the dugout at the Emirates as he proved his skills and capabilities.
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Speaking to LiveScore, Pires said: "The owner could have given him more time. It was difficult for him, especially with the language, but I thought he did a good job at the time.
"Unfortunately for him and Arsenal they lost the 2019 Europa League final to Chelsea in Baku. The pressure on the manager is hard.”
Pires used the example of Lionel Messi's struggles since moving to Paris Saint-Germain to emphasis his point. He added: “I understand football is football, it’s international, but it’s not the same, country to country.
"Managers and players need time. When you change country, you change everything. Can you imagine we talk about Lionel Messi, one of the best players in the world and look at what's happened with his move to PSG in France. I repeat, it takes time to adapt," he explained.
"Every country has a specific way of playing its football. That’s why sometimes for a manager or a player, the time to adapt can be longer."
