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Unai Emery has told friends why he felt he failed at Arsenal as he proves a huge success at Aston Villa

Originally posted on Caught Offside | By Mark Brus | Last updated 11/29/23

Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery has reportedly told friends why he felt he failed during his time at the Emirates Stadium, despite going on to enjoy huge success during his time as manager of Aston Villa.

The Spanish tactician took over at Villa Park just over a year ago, and has transformed the team, enjoying a win percentage of over 60% so far, which follows on from a strong spell at Villarreal, whom he managed after leaving Arsenal.

And yet, there’s no doubt he struggled to get his ideas across while he was with the Gunners, who will surely have few regrets about replacing him with Mikel Arteta, who himself is doing fine work in the Premier League at the moment.

According to The Athletic, however, it’s felt that Arteta might similarly have struggled if he’d come to Arsenal when Emery was appointed, right after the departure of the long-serving Arsene Wenger.

The report states that Emery has communicated with friends that he felt he was too focused on games and training sessions when he was at Arsenal, rather than taking in the bigger picture of a club that was also in transition with changes off the pitch.

It was a chaotic period for AFC, and it’s little wonder that the first manager to come in to succeed Wenger found it difficult in those circumstances.

This article first appeared on Caught Offside and was syndicated with permission.

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