Some Arsenal fans feel that they have detected a hint of sarcasm in Unai Emery’s latest comments about Mikel Arteta, which were covered by BBC Sport.
Emery will take on Arsenal boss Arteta tonight, when his Villarreal side face the Gunners in the Europa League.
Ahead of the clash, Emery had big praise for Arsenal and Arteta.
“Everybody knows it’s a great club,” he said. “Arteta and Arsenal is a perfect marriage. He’s a great manager. You can see a clear identity, a clear idea of a game plan. I’m sure Arsenal will be able to grow with Arteta.”
But with the North London side struggling badly this season, many Arsenal fans feel that his comments may not have been entirely heartfelt.
Now we’ve got no reason to believe that Emery wasn’t being anything but sincere in his comments, despite Arsenal fans’ doubts.
But it is easy to see why some Arsenal supporters feel that he was being a little hyperbolic with his statement.
Arteta still has a lot to prove with the Gunners, as this term has been a major disappointment.
Arsenal’s whole season effectively comes down to the Europa League campaign now.
If Arsenal can win the European trophy then it is likely that their poor performance in the Premier League will be glossed over.
However, if they are beaten by Villarreal then Arteta will surely come under immense pressure.
The good news for Arteta is that Charles Watts has suggested on his Youtube channel that the Spaniard will not be sacked by Arsenal, even if they fail to progress.
But the increased scrutiny that would surely come with a failure to knock out Villarreal would make a his job a lot tougher.
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