Paul Robinson has praised Unai Emery for the work he is doing at Villarreal after his troubles at Arsenal, as he told the Football Show on Sky Sports.
The former England goalkeeper has claimed that Emery ‘wasn’t the most successful’ when he was in the Arsenal dugout, but his record in European competition is ‘right up there’.
Villarreal are going to compete in their first Champions League semi-final in nearly two decades when they lock horns with Liverpool on Wednesday night at Anfield.
Emery has already masterminded wins over Juventus and German champions, Bayern Munich, so don’t rule out another shock.
When Arsenal sacked Emery in 2019, he had to pick himself up from the canvas and as Robinson has explained, he has done that.
“You look at Unai Emery’s record in Europe, he knows how to set his teams up to play in Europe,” said Robinson.
“They are defensively very strong. They are able to score and he knows how to play a team away from home and take a result back.
“Unai Emery’s time in England, at Arsenal, it wasn’t the most successful. It won’t be looked upon as one of his finest moments of his career.
“But then, you look at his record elsewhere. Look at his record, especially in European competitions. It’s right up there. He has turned this Villarreal team around. He’s got them playing. And they will make it difficult for Liverpool.”
It has to be noted that since Emery departed the Emirates, he has taken several steps forward, whilst Arsenal have gone backwards.
Now, from the perspective of Mikel Arteta, he will find those few steps back will, in the long run, put them in a better position.
Well, time will tell on that one because if they secure Champions League football, then he can bang that drum as loud as he wants.
As for Emery, his record in knockout European competitions is quite remarkable and it would be something if he manages to knock Liverpool out of the Champions League.
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