Meticulous Unai Emery has the right tools to jolt Arsenal out of stagnation

Carl Markham 14:46 23/05/2018
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  • Unai Emery is known to be obsessed about tactics.

    Unai Emery may have come up on the rails to land the Arsenal job – but springing surprises is certainly not one of the Spaniard’s traits.

    The 46-year-old, Arsenal‘s new head coach after two years in charge of Paris St Germain, is renowned for his meticulous attention to detail and his obsession with all facets of the game, notably tactics.

    He is said to leave no stone unturned in his preparation for matches and so his players at the Emirates Stadium should expect to be prepared for every eventuality.

    Emery’s lengthy video analysis sessions have become well-known within the game and former Spain winger Joaquin, who played under him at Valencia, once quipped: “Emery put on so many videos I ran out of popcorn!”

    He added: “He’s obsessed with football – it’s practically an illness. He’s one of the best managers I’ve had. I worked with him for three years. I couldn’t handle a fourth!”

    That intensity, coupled with the fact Emery has already managed six other clubs, suggests his reign could probably only last a fraction of Arsene Wenger’s 22 years, even if successful.

    But after the perceived stagnation of the final years under Wenger, the freshness of his approach could provide the jolt Arsenal are looking for.

    His track record is positive, the highlights being the three consecutive Europa Leagues he won with Sevilla and three successive third-placed finishes with Valencia in LaLiga.

    THE BEGINNING

    Emery, who was born in Hondarrabia in the Basque Country, has worked his way up to the top of the management game from the bottom after an unspectacular playing career that was ended prematurely.

    Hailing from a footballing family, his father Juan and grandfather Antonio having both played professionally as goalkeepers, Emery came through the ranks as a left-sided midfielder at Real Sociedad.

    He made his first-team debut in 1990 but failed to establish himself and made just five substitute appearances before spending the rest of his career in the lower divisions with Toledo, Ferrol, Leganes and Lorca.

    TURN TO MANAGEMENT

    It was while with Lorca he turned to management, switching his focus to the sidelines having been struck down by a serious knee injury in 2004. He was put in charge initially with a responsibility to avoid relegation from the Segunda B division, but he led them to promotion instead.

    When he followed up by guiding Almeria to the top flight he was firmly on the map and Valencia swooped for his services. He may have found Los Che difficult to please, but his record of ensuring consistent Champions League football was creditable.

    An unsuccessful six-month stint at Spartak Moscow followed, but he restored his reputation back in Spain with Sevilla and earned his chance at big-spending PSG.

    He won one Ligue 1 championship and four domestic cups in his two years in France, but a pair of last-16 Champions League exits undermined him.
    The first of those was particularly jarring, with PSG surrendering a 4-0 first-leg lead to crash out to Barcelona last year.

    This season they fell to Real Madrid, that failure contributing to his departure, despite a domestic treble. The trophies will be harder to come by in north London, but in Emery the Gunners at least have a man who knows how to deliver them.

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