Mikel Arteta cannot catch a break at the moment. With his Arsenal side struggling to keep pace in the top four race after suffering injuries to three crucial members of his first-team squad, his predecessor has reached the Champions League semi-final.
Former Arsenal head coach Unai Emery guided Villarreal to a 2-1 aggregate win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday night to put himself just three games away from the ultimate club football prize. He beat Arteta and Arsenal at the same stage of the Europa League in 2021 before beating Manchester United in the final to qualify for this year’s competition. The man has pedigree without a doubt.
The result sparked a reaction from plenty on social media, especially the Arsenal fanbase whose divided supporter group had plenty to say about the result. However, Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague sparked debate of his own after his take on the achievement.
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Balague tweeted: “Unai Emery. Not good enough for huge amount of #Arsenal fans. Their demand for solutions NOW ignoring long term plans means Unai had to look somewhere else for his place in the world. Villarreal's gain! Remember that when you wish drastic changes after every defeat under Arteta.”
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for Arsenal supporters to notice and retort Balague’s claims. In particular, were those quick to point out Emery’s domestic record.
@Stillberto: You only have to watch the performances from April 2019 until he was sacked to appreciate what was going on. While he has also done well in Europe, Villarreal are 7th in La Liga. His domestic form remains quite average. That is the manager he is.
@SemperFiArsenal: Unai is a good coach but Arsenal wasn't the club for him. It didn't work and it was best for all of us to move on. Wish him well at Villarreal and beyond. He is a classy guy.
@TikiTakaConnor: Christ what a poor take. Emery as good of a manager he is, wasn’t right for Arsenal. It’s not a hard concept to grasp. Move on, we have. Mikel Arteta has got the youngest squad in the Premier League and cooking up something special.
@YankeeGunner: They’re 7th in the league though. He’s a phenomenal cup manager which is a good thing for a club like Villarreal but Arsenal are one of the 10 richest clubs in football with (supposedly) aspirations to win PL titles again some day. I don’t see a great league manager personally
@GoonerKal: Did you watch Arsenal from April 2019 until his final game in charge? When he started playing Torreira as the Attacking Midfielder, that sent alarm bells ringing. Arsenal were insipid with no clear direction. It’s ok that it didn’t work out and all the best to him at Villarreal
@1Arsenalfanzone: What long term plans it never felt like there was 1 under him and the setup that was at the club at the time. fact is 2nd season he completely lost his players and looked like he had no idea where he wanted to go tactically. Arteta literally laid out his plans moment he came in.
The truth is, they’re right. Unai Emery had lost the Arsenal dressing room by the time he was sacked. Arsenal sat in seventh, eight points from fourth place. Ironically, despite the criticism of last season’s eighth-place finish, the Gunners were closer to the top four, ending the campaign six points from Champions League qualification.
There are arguments that Emery was not backed. He may have preferred Wilfried Zaha and Steven N’Zonzi to Nicolas Pepe and Lucas Torreira, but that didn’t stop him from regressing from his first season after more than £200million was spent on the squad.
The difference between Arteta and Emery is that the current manager, despite his coaching naivety at times, has overhauled so many aspects of the club. From mentality to recruitment, age profile to contract structure and the feel of the club remains far more connected from the majority of fans to the players.
It is incredibly frustrating to have lost Partey, Tomiyasu and Tierney at such a crucial stage of the season and the club are feeling it. Mistakes have been made and missed opportunities in the January transfer window are right to be highlighted.
However, unless the Gunners miss out on the top six, the club is moving in the right direction. Further changes need to be made in the summer and accountability must remain instilled; that goes for the manager too. Next season is a pivotal year for the Gunners and I for one am happy to see Arteta at the helm over Emery.
