The Gunners boss is one of the most exciting young coaches in the game today, but his fellow Spaniard still has a far superior CV
Modern football fans are a fickle bunch, but there's a certain section of Arsenal's following that's particularly capricious. When Unai Emery was sacked as the Gunners' head coach five years ago, an independent observer would have been hard pressed to find a single dissenting voice at the Emirates.
However, immediately after Mikel Arteta's Arsenal had opened their season with an ultimately comfortable 2-0 win over Wolves last Saturday, a discussion over the best manager in the Premier League after Pep Guardiola descended into a heated argument over whether Emery was actually superior to his predecessor. As so often happens in the era of social media, the argument has since become a topic of ferocious debate online.
Of course, the timing is no coincidence, with Emery's Villa set to host Arsenal on Saturday in what is undoubtedly an early test of the visitors' title credentials. The Gunners, remember, lost both of their league games against Villa last season, which partly explains why they ended up finishing two points behind champions Manchester City – and why Emery is now viewed in a very different light by Arsenal supporters.
Getty Images'We've got our Arsenal back!'
Emery accepted the unenviable task of taking over from the legendary Arsene Wenger in 2018 and made an impressive start to his tenure. After back-to-back losses to Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal embarked on a 22-match unbeaten run in all competitions, reinvigorating a fanbase that had become bitterly disillusioned during the closing stages of Wenger's reign. After a 5-1 rout of Fulham at Craven Cottage – the sixth of seven successive Premier League victories – the travelling support deliriously sang, "We've got our Arsenal back!"
By the middle of April, the resurgent Gunners, who had finished sixth the season before, were third in the table and closing in on a return to the Champions League, which was vital for the club from an economic and sporting perspective.
However, Arsenal then capitulated, losing three games in a row before being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Brighton. Emery's team did manage to finish their campaign with a victory, at Burnley, but by that stage, it was too late and thus suffered the abject misery of finishing a point behind hated north London rivals Tottenham, who qualified for the Champions League instead.
The Europa League final offered a shot at salvation, and Emery's status as a three-time winner of the competition meant that Arsenal fans travelled to Baku with real hope in their hearts. However, it quickly became clear that the Spaniard's side were spent, resulting in the Gunners slumping to a 4-1 loss to an Eden Hazard-inspired Chelsea.
AdvertisementGettyEntitled to sack Emery
In truth, Emery never really recovered from that twin setback. Had he been given a greater say in the club's recruitment, perhaps things could have been different.
However, amid a post-Wenger power struggle at the Emirates, there was a loss of confidence in Emery's judgement after he pushed for the loan signing of the painfully ineffective Denis Suarez during the 2019 January transfer window. Consequently, his plea to sign Wilfried Zaha the following summer fell on deaf ears and the club ended up throwing away £72 million ($94m) on Nicolas Pepe instead.
Still, while there's no denying that Emery was hindered by the upheaval behind the scenes, and wasn't afforded anything like the same support, resources or patience as his successor (it's significant that Emery was the 'head coach' while Arteta is the 'manager'), Arsenal were well within their rights to sack him in November 2019.
The team had gone seven games without a win in all competitions – the Gunners' worst run since 1992 – while they had amassed their lowest-ever points haul after 13 Premier League games (15).
GettyBreath of fresh air
There was also no evidence to suggest that Emery was capable of turning things around. Indeed, it appeared as if he had run out of ideas. He changed formations on an almost weekly basis and half-time substitutions became a regular occurrence.
The lack of clarity and consistency inevitably led to him losing the support of the dressing room. As GOAL reported immediately after Emery's exit, "London Colney will now be a far happier place that the decision to sack him has finally been taken. The respect had long gone; in fact, Emery had become the butt of many jokes.
"Talk of his potential dismissal had dominated discussion around Arsenal’s training centre during the past fortnight, with club staff just waiting to be told he was gone. The atmosphere had become so tense that many actually found it uncomfortable to be there."
So, while Emery may have given first-team debuts to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe, which pointed to a brighter future at Arsenal, Arteta's arrival felt like a breath of fresh air, which swept through the entire club and effectively propelled the same set of players to FA Cup glory just over six months later.
GettyUnited Arsenal
There's no overstating the significance of that Wembley win, either. It may have 'only' been the FA Cup, but it represented valuable credit in the back for Arteta. It convinced the club, which was now far more stable behind the scenes, that the former midfielder was not only worth backing, but also standing by when times got tough. The net result was Arteta being given time to construct – at great cost – a squad perfectly equipped to carry out his instructions to a tee.
The manager's methods, which range from lightbulbs to pickpockets, may be a little unorthodox at times and have provoked external ridicule, but it's nothing like the merciless mockery to which Emery was subjected over his supposedly poor grasp of the English language. Still, there were communication issues at Arsenal. Emery reportedly failed to build up any kind of rapport with the club's staff and, in particular, the players.
By contrast, it's abundantly obvious that Arteta is universally admired at the Emirates and quite clearly commands the respect of his squad. That sense of unity has been key to Arsenal's transformation into title challengers over the past three seasons and the only remaining question is whether Arteta can now turn them into champions.
In that context, Arteta has unquestionably done a better job at Arsenal than Emery; that's just not up for debate. He's also one of the most exciting young coaches in the game today. Were he to become available, there's no doubt that other top teams would be interested in his services.
However, can it really be argued that Arteta is a better manager than Emery? No, not yet. The work he's done at the Emirates is impressive, but it pales in comparison to Emery's achievements.