And it only gets worse for Arsenal fans: Unai Emery has turned Villarreal into a modern team of fast-paced, honest players thriving in LaLiga after being hung out for drying at the Emirates
- Unai Emery was sacked by Arsenal last year but is now thriving at Villarreal
- The Spaniard has led the side into the top four and has set an unbeaten record
- Villarreal has gone 19 games unbeaten and they look like a bunch of honest players
- They lead them into the Champions League sending a message to the Gunners
- He takes no pleasure in their plight and sympathizes with Mikel Arteta
If, as the saying goes, living well is the best revenge, Unai Emery is definitely getting his own back on those he will always believe to be the trapdoor opened far too early at Arsenal.
As his former club mourns in the Premier League, his new team Villarreal set a new club record on Tuesday night and are in Champions League places in LaLiga.
Maybe Villarreal should beat Athletic Bilbao. With their attraction their unbeaten run expanded to 19 games – the best in the club ‘s history – and kept them above Barcelona in the top four.
Unai Emery will be out to prove Arsenal wrong after a successful season so far with Villarreal
The Spaniard has led the team to an unbeaten run of 19 games as they sit in LaLiga’s top four
Emery did his best to stay calm when interviewing him Sportsmail back in May, but there were times when his harassment got the better of him.
‘Nobody inside the club knew how to defend it. They would say: “Yeah, Unai, we’re with you” but to the fans and the dressing room, they couldn’t do it, ”he said, explaining how he believed he had hung to dry at the first sign that his reign was not to be just one long series of improvements.
He says that his difficulties in mastering English were used as a stick to beat him. ‘It’s like when I said “good ebening”, okay it should have been “good afternoon”, I needed to use my accent to make it more “good afternoon” than “good ebb ”.
He was harassed at Arsenal and is thought to have been hanged for drying before sinking last year.
‘But when I said’ good ebening ‘after a good result it was just a joke, when we lost it it was a shame,’ he said.
Back in La Liga he speaks his own language again, which does not save him from being deceived.
The popular football shows Monday night feature El Dia Despues resident Raul Perez. Three weeks ago he turned his attention to Emery, tossing the club shop and shaking his arms around like an air traffic controller.
But Emery was Perez ‘s target because everyone is talking about Villarreal, and everyone is talking about Villarreal because they play so well.
At Villarreal, it brings out the best in its players, including top winner Gerard Moreno (C)
In his favor Emery has a number of players he could use at Arsenal. Pau Torres, center-back on the left, is the best in Spain and on the right forward Gerard Moreno is LaLiga’s main winner. But elsewhere it’s a team of fast-paced, honest players, who thrive because of the way Emery is organized.
It also works wonders with adolescence. 20-year-old Fer Niño and 18-year-old Yeremi Pino are playing so well that they are in the team ahead of the youngsters who were expected to shine this season. Samu Chukwueze and Real Madrid loanee Take Kubo – who is likely to return to Madrid in January due to a lack of minutes and because Villarreal need money to replace Vicente Iborra ‘s long – term injury.
Emery will bring no happiness in Arsenal’s start. And he sympathizes with Mikel Arteta. ‘He has an image for coaching Arsenal. And it has worked with [Pep] Guardiola for a few years, ‘he said.
He will take no pleasure in Arsenal’s crisis and sympathizes with fan Mikel Arteta (L)
The Gunners have made their worst start to a season in 39 years and are close to the relegation zone.
‘I think after I leave, it was the right choice. Changes are necessary to, shortly after, get Arsenal back to their rightful place and it has the qualities to do so. ‘
Two former Arsenal depressioners recently spoke about the difficulties for Arsene Wenger ‘s fans and for Emery in particular as he is the first.
Nacho told Monreal Sportsmail: ‘The club was built around it [Wenger] and after so many years there were people who still loved it. I think Unai did a good job in that first year.
Emery worked hard to follow Arsene Wenger but wants to prove he deserves more time
‘We reached the final of the Europa League, then we weren’t at the level we needed to be in the final. And then the second year maybe they didn’t give him the time he needed. ‘
And Francis Cagigao, a former Arsenal senior scout, said: ‘Transitions are never easy. Arsene was and remains a Arsenal legend. Unai arrived in a difficult transition period. But we must remember that we reached the Europa League final and lost out on the Champions League qualification by one point. ‘
The challenge now for Emery is to make sure this promising season for Villarreal is strong to the end. To get into the Champions League this season would be the best way to drive home the point once again that he should have had his second season at the Emirates .
