Unai Emery: The view from Seville on ‘irritating, obsessive’ new Arsenal boss “In key moments, my players never fail,” Unai Emery explained to reporters two years ago, ahead of his Sevilla side […]

“In key moments, my players never fail,” Unai Emery explained to reporters two years ago, ahead of his Sevilla side taking on Liverpool in the Europa League final. Having already won the title in each of his two full seasons at the Andalusian club, he was aiming for an unprecedented third in succession.

“My goal is bringing together all the positive energy and I have complete faith in my players and in this club,” continued the Basque native. “Sevilla do not fail when we are focused. We are winners, we are the champions.”

The Spaniards lifted the crown, coming from a goal behind to run out 3-1 victors. As Emery predicted, his players stepped up in the key moments with self-belief a fundamental element of the success. Such preparation was testament to the man in the dugout who is renowned for his thorough groundwork ahead of matches.

Tireless work ethic

The manager admits to being a pesado – hard working, constantly thinking, often to the point of irritating those around him. His obsession with adaptation of tactics to individual games makes him more pragmatic than most and his football is not always easy on the eye. Yet for Arsenal, this feels like the perfect tonic to the dogmatic Arsene Wenger and the failure to regularly alter their approach.

It is not only on the pitch where Emery contrasts to his predecessor but on the touchline too. Where Wenger was usually composed and placid, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss cannot sit still. Constantly pacing his line, kneeling nervously and reacting to every decision. In Spain he was famed for transmitting his energy onto the pitch, waving for fans to become involved and whipping up an atmosphere – another alien concept to recent campaigns at the Emirates.

Emery takes pride in drilling this work ethic into his players, often sending them home with lengthy DVDs to analyse their performances and that of direct opponents. Former Spain international Joaquin, a practical joker, spoke of his time under the boss while at Valencia: “There were so many videos I ran out of popcorn.”

His tenure at the Mestalla also included an anecdote with defender Jeremy Mathieu, who later moved to Barcelona. Emery suspected the Frenchman was not watching his assigned DVDs, so he was given a blank copy as a test. When quizzed about it the following morning, Mathieu replied: “Yes, it was very insightful, thanks!”

Yet Emery is self-aware and he has since adapted to engage more of his players, as he now takes each player aside for five minutes ahead of a match to talk them through the analysis and research, explaining how it should be applied to individual situations. “The best thing would be one day you don’t show them,” Emery explained, whilst at Sevilla. “Then they come to say: ‘You haven’t shown me the video today.’ Then you know for sure it is working for them.”

A head coach, not a manager

His time in Seville was characterised by his strong rapport with the famed sporting director Monchi, whose work at Los Rojiblancos became the envy of rivals across Europe. However, prior to Emery’s arrival, the club had lifted just one trophy – the 2010 Copa Del Rey – in six seasons and had finished outside the top eight in each of the previous two campaigns. Emery was to oversee two top five finishes and a Copa del Rey final, along with continental success. His ability to work within a wider setup gives an indication of a solid potential working relationship with Arsenal’s sporting director Raul Sanllehi.

In 2015, Monchi spoke of the coach in glowing terms: “Unai is critical for our model to be successful. He obtains results when we need them, he improves the players and is popular with our fans. He is the perfect fit. My desire is that he remains with Sevilla for many years.”

Emery, 46, is still relatively young for a top-flight tactician yet has accumulated 13 years of first-team management experience. Beginning at tiny Lorca – whom he guided to the second tier, before agonisingly missing out on promotion to the top flight – he then moved to another Andalusian side, Almeria, where he did achieve promotion to La Liga – a first for the club. Again overachieving, they finished eighth the following year before Valencia offered him the management job.

Emery guided Los Che to sixth, third, third and third in La Liga despite a series of star exits and budget restrictions. An unhappy temporary stint at Spartak Moscow was sandwiched between a four-year spell at the Mestalla and three-and-a-half seasons in the Sevilla hotseat, demonstrating the long-term stability he is capable of providing.

Right-hand man

Juan Carlos Carcedo has been his second-in-command for over a decade, with his loyalty to Emery unquestioned. Upon the manager’s switch to Valencia in 2008, Carcedo rejected the offer of replacing him at the helm of Almeria and instead followed his close friend and colleague in his various moves since, continuing a tightly-knit coaching team.

Emery does not suffer fools gladly and has little time for those who do not buy into his approach. At Sevilla, the supposed lack of commitment from Ciro Immobile, Marko Marin and Gerard Deulofeu was not tolerated. It is important for this coach to foster a unified team spirit and build a squad of fighters, of winners.

It is tempting to judge Emery’s managerial capabilities on his most recent job in Paris, but it should not be forgotten he won seven trophies in two seasons and his only domestic failing was to a superb and cohesive Monaco team. It is said this demonstrated he struggled to manage top-level players, yet Juan Mata, David Silva, Ivan Rakitic and Ever Banega all previously thrived under his tutelage.

In Spain, Emery’s ability is unquestioned and his move to north London has deflated hopes of Sevilla and Real Sociedad – his boyhood club – that he could be tempted back this summer. Arsenal’s ambitions, in the short-term at least, do not match those of Paris Saint-Germain. But fans may be tempted to analyse the culture of stability and consistent success with Valencia and Sevilla, who may provide the true gauge of his suitability to Arsenal.

Colin Millar edits Football España and is based in Seville.

What they say about Emery

Former players and colleagues give their view on the new Arsenal boss:

“I talked to Unai lately but there is nothing in our future in the medium to long term,” Monchi told reporters when he joined Roma last year, after 17 years in his role at Sevilla. “What I want is that he continues to stay for many years at PSG , because it would mean he’s doing well. He was the perfect coach for Sevilla.” In 2015, the sporting director spoke of the coach in glowing terms: “Unai is critical for our model to be successful. He obtains results when we need them, he improves the players and is popular with our fans. He is the perfect fit. My desire is that he remains with Sevilla for many years.” A player familiar to Arsenal fans, Jose Antonio Reyes, was full of praise for the boss following his arrival at Sevilla. “Since Unai has come in, I have been feeling good,” the forward explained. “He has afforded me a lot of game time, he talks with me and helps me grow.” Another star of Emery’s Sevilla, Argentine maestro Ever Banega, was full of praise for the boss, and told reporters after the 2015 Europa League final triumph over Dnipro: “We have an amazing coach and he is getting the very best out of us – we don’t relax whether we are on the pitch or on the bench. We have really healthy competition for places here. Unai has supported me, pushed me and helped me develop.” Ivan Rakitic, Emery’s captain for the 2014 Europa League success over Benfica, last year recalled that he would love the chance to once more work with his former coach. “I would love to work for him again, yes of course. “Unai is like Luis Enrique, they have both been fundamental in my growth as a player and they are two men that despise losing, whether it is football or marbles. The desire is incredible.”

More on Unai Emery: