English Premiership

Emery confident he will be given time to rebuild Arsenal

2019-01-16 17:34

London - Unai Emery believes he will be handed the time necessary to "get Arsenal back to where the club deserves to be" despite a recent slump threatening the Gunners' chances of a return to the Champions League.

After a 22-game unbeaten run between August and December, Arsenal have lost three of their last six Premier League matches to fall six points behind Chelsea in the battle for a top-four finish.

However, the Spaniard is confident that he is not working under the same time pressure to succeed as he was at Paris Saint-Germain where one league title and four domestic cups in two seasons in charge were not enough to keep his job due to a lack of progress in the Champions League.

"The idea is to get Arsenal back to where the club deserves to be, but it needs time," Emery told Sky Sports.

"At Arsenal, it's maybe the first time I feel that I have the support to build up from the bottom in order to get where we want to be.

"It allows us to work more for the long-term –- or at least, 'long-term' in football terms. It supports the kind of work we want to do at this club."

Of more immediate concern for Emery is making the best of the resources available to him after claiming the club doesn't have the funds for any permanent transfers this month.

A large chunk of Arsenal's budget is tied up in a lucrative deal handed to Mesut Ozil last January that runs until 2021.

The former German international is the club's highest earner, reportedly on £350,000 a week.

However, Ozil failed to even make Emery's squad for the 1-0 defeat at West Ham last weekend and has been routinely dropped throughout the course of the season.

Emery, though, is hoping his treatment of the former Real Madrid star will get the best out of Ozil rather than force him out of the club.

"At certain times, you have to provoke friction with footballers," added Emery.

"From that friction, you can get something more out of them, something from inside, a greater sense of ambition or maybe even a complaint –- a complaint regarding the team can be positive.

"As a manager, you have to be careful because that friction can break a relationship. But I believe in always looking for more, both individually and collectively.

"In the end, the main thing with any footballer is that their qualities are used to benefit the team. As a manager, you have to get the maximum out of that player and at the same time make sure that he fits with the rest of the team so that everyone is better.

Read more on:    arsenal  |  unai emery  |  soccer

 

Read News24’s Comments Policy

Live Video Streaming
Video Highlights

Fixtures
Saturday, 19 January 2019
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leicester City, Molineux Stadium 14:30
Liverpool v Crystal Palace, Anfield 17:00
Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion, Old Trafford 17:00
Newcastle United v Cardiff City, St. James' Park 17:00
Southampton v Everton, St. Mary's Stadium 17:00
Watford v Burnley, Vicarage Road Stadium 17:00
AFC Bournemouth v West Ham United, Vitality Stadium 17:00
Arsenal v Chelsea, Emirates Stadium 19:30
Sunday, 20 January 2019
Huddersfield Town v Manchester City, The John Smith's Stadium 15:30
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur, Craven Cottage 18:00
Tuesday, 29 January 2019
Fulham v Brighton & Hove Albion, Craven Cottage 21:45
Arsenal v Cardiff City, Emirates Stadium 21:45
Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United, Molineux Stadium 21:45
Huddersfield Town v Everton, The John Smith's Stadium 21:45
Manchester United v Burnley, Old Trafford 22:00
Newcastle United v Manchester City, St. James' Park 22:00
Logs
Team P W PTS
Previous Results

Date Home Team Result Away Team
Vote

Who will claim the Premier League title at the end of the 2018/19 season?

Men
Women
Love 2 Meet
Sport24 on Twitter

Follow Sport24 news on Twitter

Featured

The 2018/19 Absa Premiership season is in full swing. Will Mamelodi Sundowns retain their title? Or can one of Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Wits, SuperSport United - or another team perhaps - snatch glory from the Brazilians? Be sure to visit Sport24 for all the latest news!

Latest blogs
 

Twitter Follow Sport24 on Twitter

Facebook "Like" Sport24's Facebook page

WIN Enter and win with Sport24!

BlackBerry Stay in the loop on your BlackBerry

RSS Feeds Sport news delivered really simply.

 
There are new stories on the homepage. Click here to see them.