Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery has guided Villarreal to the semi-finals of the Champions League after they beat Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate. Emery’s side clinched a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday to secure their passage through to the last four of the competition.
Emery has rebuilt his career in Spain after he was sacked by the Gunners in 2019, leading Villarreal to Europa League glory last season. And the 50-year-old has continued his fine work this term by leading one of La Liga’s less glamorous clubs to a last-four clash against either Liverpool or Benfica.
Whilst the Spaniard was in charge at the Emirates, he cited the fact that despite Arsenal being a huge club, they lacked the kind of following enjoyed by Spanish football’s big two.
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"When I have travelled with Arsenal and PSG, it is difficult to find around the world two teams as much in the focus of football as Real Madrid and Barcelona," he told reporters after their first leg win over Bayern, in what could be seen as a sly dig at the Gunners.
However, despite now being in charge of a club far smaller than the north London giants, he has guided them to levels not seen by the Gunners since 2009 when they faced Manchester United in the semi-finals of the competition.
Undoubtedly the club have taken massive strides under his successor Mikel Arteta this season, but if given more time to turn things around after a disastrous start to the 2019/20 campaign, one can only wonder where the club would be right now.
