Michael Owen thinks Arsenal didn’t give thriving Aston Villa boss Unai Emery a proper opportunity during his time at the club.
The 52-year-old was handed the reigns at Arsenal in 2018 when legendary coach Arsene Wenger stepped down, so he had massive shoes to fill.
At the time, Arsenal were on the decline and had been for many, many years.
And, even though Unai Emery started well, including guiding the team to the Europa League final, it started to turn sour and he was booted out of the door in 2019.
Before his time at Arsenal, and since then, the Spanish coach has gone from strength to strength, including winning the Europa League with Villarreal – Emery beat Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Manchester United to that trophy.
Either way, Unai Emery is a coach whom Michael Owen hugely admires despite what happened to him at the Emirates Stadium, as he told Premier League Productions (05/11/23 at 1:05 pm).
Unai Emery at Arsenal
“It has been a very, very good managerial career,” said Owen. “I think you would say that Arsenal is one blot on his CV. A lot of people would argue that he didn’t get much time there at Arsenal.
“A brilliant manager. He has done especially well abroad and in European competitions. And, of course, Arsenal are in European competitions this season as well. He has amast a decent size squad there at Aston Villa. He can change things from off the bench. He has a lot of good players there.
“I think he is an exceptional manager. I love the way his teams play. They play a risky game at times – it has been great entertainment for Villa fans and I think they are going the right way.”
Unai Emery at Aston Villa
When Emery walked into Villa Park just over a year ago, they were a declining team who were hovering above the Premier League’s relegation zone.
There was no style of play. Results were going down the drain. The fans felt flat. Individual players, such as your John McGinn’s to Ollie Watkins, had gone backwards.
But in next to no time, Emery worked his magic and he has now transformed a club that finished in Europe last season and is now battling to finish in the Champions League places this term.
Villa are only two points behind Arsenal ahead of their meeting next month, and if fifth spot opens up for Champions League football, then there is even more of a chance that Villa play against the elite.
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