Unai Emery was hired by Arsenal board members as Arsene Wenger’s replacement after many reports linked top managers with the position.
Former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri was first tipped to be the next Gunners boss, before highly-rated and experienced tactician José Mourinho was listed for the job.
Former Real Madrid Manager Rafael Benitez was equally linked with a switch to the Emirates Stadium, but it was the former Sevilla and Paris St-German boss who won the race.
Much was expected from the 48-year-old due to his successful Europa League campaigns with Sevilla where he won back-to-back trophies.
Emery showed great promises in his early days in the dugout as he recorded 11 straight wins and played 22 matches without defeat. That’s not all, he equally led his team to the Europa League final only to be thrashed 3-1 by Chelsea.
Unfortunately, his second season as the manager was a total contrast to what he did in the first term as he was far from convincing.
His team were obviously uncoordinated on the field of play and he lost too many matches, which eventually led to his dismissal.
Looking back to the manager’s short spell as the Gunners boss, we picked out three major reasons why the Spaniard failed to deliver.
1. Poor managerial skill at the top level
Being a manager is more than giving instructions to players or creating weekly team list, it has to do with the manner with which you relate with the players in the team.
It has a lot to do with the way you react to emerging issues in the team and in the media. It’s quite unfortunate Emery doesn’t realize how bad he was when it comes to managing the players at his disposal.
Firstly, creating an unhealthy and appalling relationship with Mesut Ozil — one of Arsenal’s best players — was his first error at the North London club.
Though the former German international wasn’t consistent in his performances, there’s a better way Emery could get him back to his best other than excluding him from team list.
Xhaka’s captaincy row and controversial moment with the fans was equally mishandled by the manager which further buttressed the fact that Emery needs to improve his managerial skill if he must succeed in future endeavors.
2. Lost the dressing room
Another reason why Emery didn’t stay long as Arsenal manager was his inability to control the dressing room. He totally lost control over his players and the solidarity wasn’t there at all.
He created a division in his team as some folks belonged to Ozil’s group while some are for Xhaka and Aubameyang respectively.
It is said that a family divided against itself cannot stand, and that was a clear picture of what happened to Unai Emery’s team.
3. Largely depleted or off-form squad
Emery inherited a squad of players who are low in confidence and are mentally unprepared for greater challenges. Unfortunately, the manager didn’t help matters as he was involved in many controversies with his players.
