Spurs are still better than Arsenal, says coach Emery
Unai Emery, the Arsenal head coach, has said that the club have to accept that Tottenham Hotspur have been better than them in recent years.
Ahead of today’s north London derby, Emery described opposition manager Mauricio Pochettino as being among the best in the world, ranking him alongside Pep Guardiola and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone.
If Arsenal win at the Emirates, in the first derby in more than two decades not involving Arsene Wenger, it will not just extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 20 matches but would actually take them past Spurs on goal difference.
However, Emery insisted that there was ground to make up.
“At this moment, Tottenham are better than us in the table and better than us also last year,” he said.
“But, in history, Arsenal is better at another moment than Tottenham. There will be two groups of supporters making a very good atmosphere.
“The first [derby] match is in our stadium with our supporters and we want Sunday to give them the best performance, and our energy, and to feel them pushing us.”
Emery praised the impressive work Pochettino has done at Spurs. “His career is very consistent,” he said of the former defender. “His structure in every team is very clear, with good performances.
“He has worked in Spain, then here with Southampton and Tottenham, with young players, and every young player usually improves with him and his staff.
“I think he deserves because of his career to be considered with the best coaches like Guardiola and Simeone.”
That is high praise indeed, with Pochettino having been similarly effusive about Emery’s work since he succeeded Wenger.
The pair share a special bond, having first met a decade ago as they spent three days together watching the Chile national team train in Spain under their
then coach Marcelo Bielsa. Emery also eventually recommended Pochettino to succeed him as Valencia coach.
Both Pochettino and Guardiola have previously described Bielsa as “the best coach in the world” and Emery is also something of a disciple of the quixotic Argentine, who is now Leeds United’s manager.
Emery is similar to Pochettino, putting an emphasis on hard work, organisation, tactical innovation, a commitment to youth and a passionate desire to succeed.
“I was the coach in Valencia and this was when Pochettino was finishing his playing career,” Emery explained. “And we met in Valencia watching the Chile training sessions. And a few months later he took over as coach of Espanyol. We were learning with Bielsa in this moment. But Pochettino wanted to be a coach and since then his career has grown.”
The two sat with Bielsa after every training session to discuss football. “I respect Bielsa a lot,” Emery said. “For me, he is a special coach. I think the best coaches in the world work in different things and a lot of coaches we cannot train like Bielsa. It’s difficult to train like Bielsa.
“Every coach can learn from different coaches but with Bielsa, I think all coaches learn something from him.”
Emery has been unafraid, like Pochettino, of making big decisions and has a call to make as to whether he will recall Mesut Ozil, having left out Arsenal’s biggest name for the away win against Bournemouth last weekend.
It is likely the German playmaker will be selected.
“It was only one decision for one match,” Emery explained. “There’s a decision each match. I decide how we are going to play and it depends on the opposition 30 per cent, their structure, and 70 per cent is for us.
“I will decide also for this game against Tottenham. Yesterday, for example, we decided to play with some young players, with a mix to think to win.”
That was in reference to Arsenal’s tie away to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League on Thursday and it is likely they will field an entirely different starting XI against Spurs. Even so, the nature of the team Emery played in Kiev showed, like Pochettino, his commitment to youth.
“That’s our job,” the Spaniard said. “My first target is not to win, it’s to develop young players with our work. That was my first idea when I started as a coach, because with this work comes results.
“The work with the young players Pochettino is doing very well, but not now only in Tottenham. It was the same at Southampton and at Espanyol.”