Unai Emery has been sacked after 18 months in charge of Arsenal. “The Gunners” lost 2:1 to Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday which was the last straw of patience towards Emery. An official club statement from earlier today explained the reason behind the sacking: “taken due to results and performances not being at the level required”.
Unai Emery couldn’t reignite Arsenal
The Spaniard took over Arsenal in May 2018, having the difficult task of replacing legendary manager Arsene Wenger. Emery outlined his vision for the team’s playing style and future shortly before his debut game against Manchester City in August 2018. He then told SkySports:
“Our style with the ball is to be protagonists. To do things with combinations, to control the match with the positioning of the ball and then, when we have space, to be aggressive going forward. Defensively, the first thing is to be organized and recover the ball quickly.”
Arsenal lost that game and the game after. And while initially, it looked like the team has a plan to modernize and progress, it is clearly visible at the end of Emery’s reign, that the plan failed. The 48-year old managed Arsenal in 78 games. He managed to win 43, drew 12 and lost 20, an average of 1.85 points per match.
Now, assistant and former club midfielder Freddy Ljungberg will be Arsenal coach on a temporary basis.
“We have asked Freddie Ljungberg to take responsibility for the first team as interim head coach. We have full confidence in Freddie to take us forward. The search for a new head coach is underway and we will make a further announcement when that process is complete,” the club statement read.
Speculation over Emery’s successor is already building with Wolves coach Nuno Espirito Santo being touted by the media as a likely candidate.
