Cesc Fabregas has highlighted why Unai Emery has done so well at Aston Villa after going through a difficult spell at Arsenal.
Unai Emery was given the difficult challenge to follow Arsene Wenger’s 22-year reign at Arsenal when he was appointed manager in the summer of 2018.
The Gunners had just missed out on the Champions League for the second consecutive season, yet expectations upon Emery’s arrival were high.
During the years that preceded his spell at the Emirates, the Spaniard had won three consecutive Europa League titles at Sevilla and had claimed the Ligue 1 title with PSG.
Emery would go on to endure a mixed spell in North London.
Although he achieved the third-highest win percentage in the club’s history (55%) and reached the Europa League final, he left in November 2019 with his reputation in tatters and was derided as incompatible with the demands of Premier League football.
Fast forward to the present day, and the 52-year-old is seen as one of the best managers in the league after guiding Villa to Europe last season while propelling them towards the Champions League places.
Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has now explained why he believes Emery has done so well at Villa Park in contrast to his spell at the Emirates.
Cesc Fabregas shares why Unai Emery has done so well at Aston Villa
Speaking on the Planet Premier League Podcast, Fabregas said: “There are managers that are great but they are not great coaches and they are still successful. And that’s normally when you’re in a big club and have top top players.
“When you go a little lower you need great coaches and I think that’s why Emery has been more successful in let’s say, the lower expectations than when he had to be maybe more of a manager.”
“As I said, I’m very happy for him because he’s had lots of ups and downs after the Arsenal job, you could see that he was hurt in a way in terms of Premier League and personnel but he’s had the capacity to build himself up and to show again that he’s good enough to be in the top 4, top 5 clubs in the Premier League.”
Unai Emery is a top-class coach
During his time at Arsenal, he was crucified for the high expectations that were placed on him from the get-go.
Supporters were expecting their side to instantly challenge for the Premier League title but there were a lot of issues that made it so difficult.
Since arriving at Villa Park, however, Emery has thrived in an environment where he hasn’t been instantly put under pressure to get results.
When he joined, the club were battling against relegation under Steven Gerrard, but he somehow managed to drag them into Europe.
This showed his talent as a world-class coach who can get the very best out of his squad, as seen by the improvements of Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey and Douglas Luiz.
Aston Villa take on Manchester United tomorrow as the race for the top four heats up.
