Emery reveals the one area that Wenger neglected at Arsenal

Oli Fisher
Unai Emery TEAMtalk

Unai Emery at the man he took over from at Arsenal, blaming Arsene Wenger for the “decline” of the club and his neglect of one key area of the team.

Wenger left his post with the Gunners after spending over 22 years at the club, before former PSG coach Emery took over in the summer.

The Frenchman’s last Premier League title came in 2004 and, despite winning four FA Cups in the 13 years after, it wasn’t good enough for most fans.

And Emery, who brought in a number of signings to improve the team in the summer, thinks Wenger’s neglect of the club’s “defensive structure” left him with a rebuilding job this season.

“Before Wenger came, Arsenal celebrated 1-0 and were based on defensive solidity,” Emery told Marca.

“With Arsene, joy came from attacking, with players of good standing. And the perfect combination was the Invincibles.

“But over time, only technical quality and offensive freedom were taken care of, losing the defensive structure.

“What I want is to unite both essences and be more competitive. Arsenal was in decline. We had to stop it and start climbing.”

 

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