Unai Emery opens up on his time at Arsenal, delivers honest assessment of his Emirates tenure

Arsenal faced a seemingly Herculean task in the summer of 2018 as they had to appoint a new manager for the first time in over two decades as Arsene Wenger bowed out of North London. After a long and comprehensive recruitment process, Unai Emery was chosen as the legendary Frenchman's replacement and he took over the reins at the Emirates.

His first season saw the Gunners finish fifth in the Premier League and the Spaniard oversaw a defeat to cross-town rivals Chelsea in the final of the UEFA Europa League as well, effectively failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

His second season saw no significant improvement despite Arsenal breaking the bank for the services of Ligue 1 star Nicolas Pepe in a deal worth over £70m, as well as a few other noteworthy names such as David Luiz, Kieran Tierney, and more. A poor run of results and Emery's failure to turn their season around eventually led to to the sacking of the Spaniard, replaced by his compatriot and Arsenal club legend Mikel Arteta.

Although Arsenal are yet to make any significant progress in North London so far, he has shown signs of style of football and a stable system being implemented.

Emery, who is yet to return to management at club level, opened up for the first time since his unceremonious sacking by Arsenal to discuss the reasons for his downfall at the Emirates, and more.

“I am clear about my diagnosis and we did good things there. I think we had a good first year, taking two competitions well as Europa League and Premier League.

“The process was good. When we played possession, we did it; when we had to press, we did it. And we were competitive, playing as the game required. With moments of possession game and moments of three quick touches.”

The former Sevilla coach delivered a frank analysis of his unsuccessful second season in charge at Arsenal. He goes on to pinpoint some of the major issues he faced, saying,

“This second year, we have not played well; we have not defended well; We have not been competitive; We did not transmit. And I told the players myself. There were several problems: four captains; the Özil-Kolasinac case; Pépé’s signing, who needs time since he came from France… We didn’t play well, that’s for sure. That brought us bad results, there was no improvement, the fans focused on me and they threw me out. But I keep the positive things, there were many.

“I had the funeral and mourning. After my sacking, I dreamed a month of things about Arsenal. It was a natural process. And I overcame that. When I no longer dreamed them, I already knew that I had overcome it.”

Emery had kind words to say about his eventual successor and went on to praise him, saying,

“Mikel has a lot of experience as a footballer and has worked alongside Pep, who is top.

The Spaniard also shed light on Mesut Ozil's situation, with whom he shared a relatively frosty relationship. The playmaker failed to seal a regular spot under Emery and was constantly blighted by either injuries or issues off the field.

“He (Arteta) is playing a 4-2-3-1 like ours. Özil is still ‘10’, and is slowly looking for his identity. But with my departure, the hostile atmosphere was relaxed. The results are not being the best but you have to give it time to do so.”

Arsenal currently sit in 10th place on the Premier League table, having collected 30 points in their 24 games so far. They are set to travel to Turf Moor for their next league fixture.