A £72 million Arsenal player was cited by Unai Emery as one of “several problems” that cost him his job.

Unai Emery is presently enjoying tremendous success with Aston Villa, but he was on the precipice of being fired from Arsenal four years ago after presiding over a period beset by difficulties.

Unai Emery’s tenure at Arsenal seems like an eternity has passed, given the current success of his Aston Villa squad and the resurgence of his reputation.

Emery was dismissed of his responsibilities by Arsenal on November 29, 2019, “due to results and performances falling short of the required standard.” He appeared defeated after presiding over a seven-game losing sequence – the worst stretch of results for the club since 1992.

Upon joining Arsenal as the club’s preferred successor following the Arsene Wenger tenure, Emery only remained for a brief period of 18 months. His enthusiastic and proactive approach to football was initially well-received, but shortly thereafter, pragmatism emerged and caused the discussion to become convoluted. In addition to causing tensions in the locker room, his leadership approach and decisions concerning the captaincy simply added to the situation.

Villa are currently fifth in the Premier League, and their brand of football, which has resulted in sixteen consecutive victories at home across all competitions, is both fluid and exhilarating. It is difficult to compare the Emery era of that time to the current one. However, 1,450 days separate the current Emery from the one who Arsenal fired. In this piece, Mirror Football contemplates the challenges that impeded his progress in north London and the lessons he has gained from them in order to achieve success at Villa.

A multitude of issues
Emery has led Arsenal to victory in 43 of his 78 games in command, a percentage that is only marginally lower than his current record at Aston Villa. However, the circumstances could not be more dissimilar. During that period, a united and well-defined dressing room was absent.

Upon his arrival at Arsenal, he expounded upon his philosophy to Sky Sports: “Our approach to the game entails assuming the role of protagonists, manipulating the game through combinations and ball placement, and then, when the opportunity presents itself, displaying aggressiveness in the forward direction. “On the defensive side, being organized and recovering the ball quickly are essential.”

Moments of that occurred, but not on a consistent basis. The confusing approach was further hindered by the captaincy predicament. A squad vote determined that Granit Xhaka would preside over a five-man leadership group that also included Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin, and Alexandre Lacazette. Just weeks later, however, Xhaka’s insignia was revoked in the wake of a heated altercation with supporters; this incident also damaged Emery’s own authority.

Then there was Nicolas Pepe’s failure. The Ivory Coast international, whom Emery acquired for a club-record £72 million in the summer of 2019, failed to provide the “speed, power, and creativity… [and] more goals” that he had planned to contribute. Pepe scored once and assisted on four goals in sixteen games under Emery, falling short of the transformational potential that his manager had anticipated from him.

“I have a clear understanding of my diagnosis, and we made significant progress” “I believe we performed well in the Europa League and Premier League during our first season,” Emery told Marca a few months after his dismissal. “The procedure went well. Whether it was possession or press, we executed accordingly. We also played competitively, as the game demanded. Instances of possession and three-touch moments during the contest.

“Throughout our second season, we have performed poorly. We have not adequately defended. We have not been competitive, and we have failed to transmit; I informed the players of this myself. Four captains, the Ozil-Kolasinac case, and Pepe’s signing, which requires time due to his French origin, were among the issues that arose. We certainly did not perform well during the game.”

Pepe is presently engaged in business activities in Turkey, having been acquired at a reduced cost by Trabzonspor during the summer. In 112 appearances for Arsenal, he accumulated 27 goals and 21 assists. Additionally, Arsenal loaned him to Nice last season.

Villa resurgence
Such issues have long since passed him by. Emery has transferred his stellar record with Spanish clubs, and specifically in the Europa League, to Villa, who trail the league leaders by only three points.

One could argue that Unai Emery is the third-best Premier League manager at this time, Jamie Carragher stated on Sky Sports over the weekend. “I believe you have Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, both of whom are Champions League champions.”

“However, Unai Emery’s corpus of work throughout his career, and not just at Aston Villa, demonstrates that he is a consistent Europa League champion. Neither Mikel Arteta nor Mauricio Pochettino possess such an impressive resume in terms of trophies won.

This season, Emery’s counterattacking, seamless, and quick-moving football has been a delight to observe. Under the leadership of captain John McGinn, the midfield is dynamic and constantly changing positions, while the attacking prowess of Ollie Watkins, Moussa Diaby, and Leon Bailey has torn apart defenses.

The Arsenal dismissal remained in Emery’s mind for a considerable period of time. Nevertheless, now that Villa is tied for first place in the table with Arsenal, he has stopped fixating on his previous shortcomings.