Unai Emery: Adios

[TriniGunner]

I didn’t like him as an Arsenal manager but I have nothing against him as a person. Hope he does well in his next job. Sadly this job was just too big for him.

He knew it himself. I really don't understand what Gazidis and company saw in Unai Emery in terms of his record as a manager. If they did some deep dive analysis into each season he was a coach they would have noticed that he wasn't exactly a top tier manager.

 

[mavelous]

Good bye, sir. Nothing personal, but we're just not compatible

'it's not me, it's you' ))))

 

[Beksl]

if players couldn't understand what Emery wanted from them, and no one was allowed to intervene, then laughing at the situation was probably the least disrespectful response

A lot of IFs.

 

[RunTheTrap]

This guy will never get the opportunity to work with a big club ever again. His stock is an all time low

 

[Eaststander74]

This guy will never get the opportunity to work with a big club ever again. His stock is an all time low

He probably feels he can do with the break. He'll have some spare cash to find something to do in the meantime.

 

[Artisan]

Now that it's said and done, I guess good wishes are in order. But truthfully the way he tried ostracizing some players, while intentionally or unintentionally having almost driven out all our senior players don't leave me with a lot of good will toward him. Still, best of luck back in Spain.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

Lots of info here, from Athletic. If true anyway..



Summary:

* His oddities, such as refusing to discuss the Europa League final plans properly until the end of the league season, or allowing the club’s travel co-ordinator to deliver a cringeworthy team talk before a vital game, eventually grew too much. As he flitted between philosophies, he ultimately angered his leading players so much that by this week they had given up on him, as had an exasperated hierarchy, who discussed his future in the US and then concluded before Thursday’s game that he was to be sacked.

* When Emery reflects on what has contributed to his sacking, his management of individual players will surely figure prominently. It’s something Arsenal ought to have been aware of after his spell at Paris Saint-Germain. Managing Neymar was obviously a unique and challenging proposition but the world’s most expensive player was not alone in falling out with Emery: Hatem Ben Arfa, Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Silva all had tempestuous relationships with the Spanish coach.

* Aaron Ramsey was the first Arsenal player to raise the alarm after a pre-season meeting with Emery at London Colney in 2018. Ramsey and his agent, who were in the midst of crucial contract talks with the club, left the meeting without any improved understanding of Emery’s plans for the Welshman. Communication issues would become a key theme of Emery’s tenure in north London.

* Problems with Mesut Özil began to surface as soon as Arsenal’s third Premier League game of the 2018-19 season. The German was surprisingly absent from the squad to face West Ham, with Emery citing “catarrh”.
A telling exchange occurred in the post-match press conference. “When you spoke to him [Özil] on Thursday about what you wanted to see from him [against West Ham], did you plan to play him in a different position?”, Emery was asked. With a smile, Emery replied: “Maybe.” It was the first indication of a rift between the coach and his star player — a rift that would only widen over time.

* The truth is that Emery and his staff were not impressed with Özil’s attendance record or application in training. Data analysis also showed a significant difference in his physical performance in home and away games, particularly in the key measurement of “sprints when the opponent has possession of the ball”. Emery’s intention was to play a high-intensity style and, having been burned by the Neymar experience, he was determined to make Özil bend to his will. For many Arsenal fans, Emery’s feud with Özil became emblematic of the battle for Arsenal’s football identity. It was a tug of war between the creative midfielder and the pragmatic coach.

* That January transfer window proved costly for Emery. Rob Holding, Héctor Bellerín and Danny Welbeck had all suffered season-ending injuries, yet the club were unwilling to invest substantially midway through the season. Sanllehi is openly sceptical about finding value in January, and was unwilling to embark on any significant spending without a technical director in place to coordinate squad-building.

* Instead, Emery was told the club would be restricted to loan deals. He was desperate for a winger, but bids to sign Yannick Carrasco from Dalian Yifang and Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan proved fruitless. The one player Arsenal did sign in January was a personal recommendation from Emery: Denis Suarez.

* The midfielder had played under Emery for Sevilla and was the subject of a concerted charm offensive from Arsenal. Emery and Sanllehi alternated calling Suarez almost daily for a period of weeks before his loan deal was completed. He arrived expecting to be a key part of Emery’s plans, but ultimately barely figured, making just six appearances in all competitions before returning to Barcelona. The deal is understood to have cost Arsenal more than €5 million.

* After consultation with Emery, Sanllehi sought to replace Mislintat with Spanish recruitment specialist Monchi. Monchi and Emery had experienced great success at Sevilla, and the intention was for them to reprise their working relationship in north London. Monchi met with Arsenal twice but ultimately chose to return to his beloved Seville.

* Ultimately, Arsenal appointed Edu — someone with no previous affiliation to Emery, but a close friendship with Freddie Ljungberg, the man who now replaces him as caretaker.

* It made Arsenal better, but it was a significant blow to Emery’s credibility. In October, Ramsey had revealed the club had withdrawn their contract offer. Now, just a few months later, Emery was utterly reliant on the Welshman. This kind of tactical volte-face became commonplace throughout Emery’s reign. If he had adhered to a singular vision, it might have earned him more credit with the Arsenal supporters. It is hard to believe in a manager who doesn’t believe in his own ideas.

* The Palace match was notable for the fact that Emery allowed the club’s travel co-ordinator, Ameesh Manek, to give the pre-match team talk. Emery had granted various members of staff the opportunity to speak before games, as part of his belief in shared responsibility. Players and staff were said to be embarrassed, even laughing. It never happened again.

* Unfortunately, preparation for the final in Baku was beset with problems. Emery had refused to discuss the final with the performance team until the Premier League season was over, meaning the club was not able to plan in the requisite detail. Emery was also insistent on travelling to Baku early — two days before Chelsea. This was against the explicit wishes of several key medical personnel who felt facilities weren’t as good out in Azerbaijan.

* Arsenal were comfortably beaten in Baku. Emery’s detailed preparation for games had largely enabled them to be more competitive in “big” games, but their dismal run-in had sapped the group of confidence.

* After Arsenal’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, talks about a new contract were shelved. The club set about an aggressive transfer strategy, spending the money they had held back in January. Although Arsenal’s business was largely interpreted as a show of support for Emery, several decisions indicated that Emery’s priorities and those of the club were not necessarily aligned.

* Emery eventually got his winger but, rather than his preferred choice of Zaha, it was Nicolas Pépé. Players who had become integral to Emery’s plans — Alex Iwobi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Nacho Monreal — were allowed to leave, to facilitate the promotion of academy players.

* Koscielny, disillusioned by being asked to play five matches between April 11 and April 24, forced his departure. When Arsenal finally splashed out on the centre-half Emery felt they desperately needed, it was for William Saliba — [a player who would be spending the next year away on loan](https://theathletic.com/1349145/201...am-saliba-will-be-worth-the-wait-for-arsenal/). Arguably, Arsenal were laying the groundwork for the future rather than endorsing the current coach.

* The signing Arsenal eventually made at centre-half, David Luiz, was a poor fit for Emery’s system, preferring to drop off rather than hold an aggressive high line. Luiz is also infamous for insurgence against his coaches, a trait that would rear its head just a few months into working with Emery.

* Emery’s grip on the dressing room slipped further when it came to replacing Koscielny as captain. Granit Xhaka was theoretically next in line, but Emery did not move swiftly to make the appointment. Instead, he prevaricated, even discussing the captaincy with another player in the squad. By the time he ultimately plumped for Xhaka, the player felt undermined and angry. When Xhaka and the Arsenal supporters fell out in spectacular fashion after another fateful fixture against Crystal Palace, the Swiss international was as frustrated with his coach as the fans. Another delay before stripping Xhaka of the captaincy eroded Emery’s authority further still.

* After pleading for a winger, Emery proceeded not to play him: Pépé did not start any of Emery’s last three games as head coach. It was hoped he could form part of an exciting front three, but the Ivorian has started alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette just twice.

* As Emery chopped and changed, the faith of the players waned. In training, the strain was showing and dissent became increasingly frequent. After the Carabao Cup defeat against Liverpool, Xhaka had an angry exchange with a team-mate over the result of a small-sided game. In the same week, Luiz fell out of with one of Emery’s coaching staff in front of the whole group, apparently feeling demeaned that the coach was treating him like a child by trying to teach him how to defend.

* When Ainsley Maitland-Niles publicly pleaded to be spared playing out of position at right-back, Calum Chambers was asked to step in. After impressing at full-back, Chambers expressed a desire to be given a chance at centre-half. Despite his good form, he was given short shrift by Emery.

* The influx of a group of younger, English players didn’t help Emery. [This contingent felt a greater affinity to Ljungberg](https://theathletic.com/1289739/2019/11/29/freddie-ljungberg-the-making-of-a-model-coach/), both on account of having worked with him before and his superior communication skills.

* Privately, many players complained of simply not understanding what Emery wanted from them. Language was of course, a factor, but as the pressure role Emery’s ideas seemed to become more muddled. An expanding vocabulary did not lead to an improvement in clarity. In recent weeks, even those players who Emery would have considered his lieutenants have deserted him. Within the squad, there has been an acceptance for some weeks that a change was inevitable.

* The head of football Sanllehi was initially determined not to rush into a decision, but results have made the situation untenable. Like the supporters, the Arsenal hierarchy have harboured concerns for some time with the team’s results and performances.

* Ryan Garry, the former Arsenal defender who worked alongside Ljungberg with the under-23s, is expected to be in contention for a role.

* With a reign lasting just 18 months, Emery the “protagonist” has been relegated to a relatively minor role in the story of Arsenal football club.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

Finally he's gone, best solution for all involved.

 

[pacstud]

Best of luck to the man. In hindsight, more our fault for hiring him, such a poor fit for what we need(ed).

 

[Fewtch]

“In the same week, Luiz fell out of with one of Emery’s coaching staff in front of the whole group, apparently feeling demeaned that the coach was treating him like a child by trying to teach him how to defend” :rofl:

What a ****show

 

[EmeryCouldnt]

He was just about to turn things around...

 

[KrissKringle]

Too afraid and ultra defensive.

I don't know if you can call him ultra defensive when the team conceded at least a goal for the past, what was it, 8-9 games?
If anything, I'd call him simple minded.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

Özil comes across as horrible to deal with for any manager. Just takes days off when he wants.

 

[Hexagon9]

Have to say, this doesn’t reflect well on our players either.

At least some of them will now have the opportunity to show the fans that they have talent, backbone, a decent mentality and a work ethic under a third manager.

Not holding my breath.

 

[pacstud]

Have to say, this doesn’t reflect well on our players either.

At least some of them will now have the opportunity to show the fans that they have talent, backbone, a decent mentality and a work ethic under a third manager.

Not holding my breath.

Truth. The deeper underlying problems that exist in our player personnel do not go away with Emery's sacking.

Other heads will most likely need to roll.

 

[SA Gunner]

Goodness, reading that makes me realise that there is a lot of work to be done to rebuild our fortunes.

We need a strong presence who can build a good vision going forward. Someone who has been in the trenches and has delivered. Potchettino, Rodgers (to an extent) and Nuno have indeed shown this and should be in contention.

Fourth spot is a must this year.

 

[grange]

Doesn't seem like he had that big of a problem with Emery:

 

[GDeep™]

Doesn't seem like he had that big of a problem with Emery:

“Doesn’t matter the results”

This **** saying these things at Arsenal, would never say that at Chelsea.

 

[KrissKringle]

“Doesn’t matter the results”

He's brazilian. Their motto is "Samba si, trabajo no."

 

[GDeep™]

He's brazilian. Their motto is "Samba si, trabajo no."

As it should be. We’re not made to sit in offices for 8 hours a day until we lose our senses and have to retire.