Premier League giants Arsenal sacked Unai Emery back in the autumn – and Lazio striker Ciro Immobile won’t want to work with him again.
Ciro Immobile has joined Unai Emery’s growing list of critics with the prolific Lazio striker hardly looking back on his time alongside the former Arsenal boss with any fondness, speaking during an Instagram Q&A.
The phrase ‘be careful what you wish for’ came to mind as a Gunners side lacking any semblance of direction or leadership slumped to defeats against Sheffield United, Brighton, Leicester City and co during a miserable start to the 2019/20 campaign.
By the end, few would argue that Arsene Wenger’s departure needed to be any more drawn out. But the decision to hand the keys to Emery backfired spectacularly with the Spaniard losing the fans and the dressing room during a tumultuous year-and-a-half spell in charge in North London.
The likes of Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil appeared to endure testing relationships with Emery. And it’s fair to say Immobile, who found goals and game-time hard to come by during an ill-fated spell at Sevilla, doesn’t have much good to say about the currently unemployed Spaniard either, who’s man-management skills have come under the microscope in recent times.
“I felt bad, I didn’t have many chances. In January I thought of leaving but Emery asked me to stay,” said the Italy international.
“At first I went out and scored two goals straight away, but then Emery took me out again and I thought, ‘This guy didn’t understand anything’.
“Let’s just say that when you don’t feel like part of a group, everything is useless.”
Immobile found the net just four times in Sevilla colours but it’s fair to say goals have been far easier to come by since he returned to Serie A.
With 27 in 26 Serie A matches this season (30 in all competitions), only Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski have a better goals-per-game record this season than a man who has fired Lazio into contention for their first Scudetto triumph since 2000.
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