Emery and Arteta, Arsenal’s past and present, to define club’s future
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It came as a surprise to Mikel Arteta when, soon after his appointment at Arsenal, he heard his predecessor would like a word. Handover chats are not unknown in football but Unai Emery’s tenure had ended in some frustration and, besides, the two men had rarely met properly. A mutual friend set up the call and Arteta appreciated the gesture.“He was very honest, very open and I was very grateful because it’s not something that is very common,” he said. “It came from him as well, which is unusual.”
Emery broke the ice by asking whether Arteta might require his recently vacated London home, which eventually found a taker among Arsenal’s squad. But he had advice to impart as well and held no qualms about mixing light and shade. “I just wanted to tell him about my experience there, what I lived when I was there, what I thought could be positive for him,” Emery said on Wednesday. “Maybe I told him one or two things that could be improved, in a naturalistic and personal way.”
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One of Emery’s more eye-catching admissions was that, 17 months after being sacked, he makes a point of watching Arsenal’s games to see how his former players are developing. He views them with “a positive perspective” but on Thursday he will get a closeup that, for sheer piquancy, almost feels preordained.
As manager of Villarreal, Emery stands between Arteta and any chance of salvaging a season that stands to cast a more favourable light on his own work in north London. Lose this Europa League semi-final and Arsenal are skittled: there is scant hope of qualifying for Europe domestically and they would be condemned to a level of obscurity that has not beset them since the mid-1990s. It would complicate the Kroenkes’ purported intention to heal deepening wounds by investing in the side and would escalate the pressure that, since the European Super League debacle last week, has ramped up around the club.
Emery lost his Europa League-winning touch when it mattered in Baku two years ago so the irony levels would soar if he denied Arsenal. It would be an exaggeration to say he could effectively wield the axe on Arteta, who is still judged to be amid a rebuild in part because of the misshapen and demotivated squad Emery bequeathed him. But he can make his compatriot’s life decidedly uncomfortable and ensure the margin for error, when Arteta sets about repairing the damage in August, is wafer thin.
That would, to Emery, be an unfortunate byproduct of taking Villarreal to their first major European final. Both men hail from the San Sebastián area and Emery pointed to a degree of kinship. His generosity of sentiment towards Arteta, who he said formed a “perfect marriage” with Arsenal, showed no affectation and would not surprise anyone who can separate his character from his achievements in England. Amid sincere support for his colleague, though, it was possible to detect shadows of his own regret.
“I think Arteta should build on the improvements I tried to work on but couldn’t continue,” he said. “This needs a process that needs time to execute a gameplan and find the results. I am convinced that they need to let managers work and to have patience. I know that is very difficult but at Arsenal we needed to be patient. They need to trust Arteta and through natural process Arsenal will find the place they deserve. I can see a team that, with time and Arteta, will make it.”
The last part seemed heartfelt, too: Emery said Arteta has given Arsenal “a clear identity, very clear ideas of their gameplan”. A lack of those facets was effectively what cost Emery his job and, while there were moments of promise, nobody would rewrite history to say his tenure should have been prolonged. Arsenal’s performances were confused and disconsolate in his final few months, players frequently unsure of the demands placed on them. Under Arteta they have a structure, and communication has improved: his biggest problem has been that inexplicable individual errors remain endemic, new offenders popping up each week.
That has been less of a problem when the stakes are at their highest, though, and Arteta is banking on a repeat. “In moments of big pressure, moments where we had to deliver, the players have done it,” he said, citing in particular the successful FA Cup run last season. While the headline writers wait for Emery to turn the tables on Arsenal, Arteta can offer potential stings of his own: what if Nicolas Pépé, who Emery was reluctant to sign instead of Wilfried Zaha but helped to destroy Slavia Prague in the last eight, had the final say this time?
When all is done, Arteta and Emery may reflect they have both been put through the wringer by the extraordinary pressure and politics of post-Wenger Arsenal. Whichever of them squeezes out a winning drop of inspiration over the next week may have a huge say in how that period of history comes to be defined.