Thierry Henry claims Arsenal made mistake over ‘tactical genius’ Emery after Aston Villa win

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry thinks the Gunners made a mistake by getting rid of Unai Emery after watching Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.

The Gunners have had a good start to the new Premier League season with Mikel Arteta’s side currently sitting in third place, just one point behind leaders Liverpool.

Arsenal have faced a tricky start to the new season, facing Emery’s Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham in their first six matches.

The Gunners beat Aston Villa 2-0 earlier this season but, having watched the Villans defeat European giants Bayern Munich 1-0 on Wednesday , Henry reckons Emery would’ve had been a “success” at Arsenal if he’d been given more time.

When asked whether Aston Villa boss Emery has his respect before their group stage clash against Bayern Munich, Henry said on CBS Sports : “Oh yeah, big time. He’s a tactical genius.

“He always goes out there and makes sure his team has an advantage tactically because that’s how he operates. We all know what he did in Spain.

“For me, obviously this is no disrespect to what Mikel Arteta is doing and is doing extremely well for Arsenal, I just thought that if we kept him [Emery] a bit longer he would have been a success at Arsenal.

“He did show it straight after when he left the club. I have massive respect for him.”

Speaking about Emery, who was given just over a year at the Emirates Stadium, CBS Sports colleague Jamie Carragher added: “I think he’s fantastic, I think he’s one of the best coaches in European football.

“He’s had great success in Europe, not in this particular competition [the Champions League], but in the Europa League specifically, with Sevilla and Villarreal.

“I would say in the Premier League we have Pep Guardiola above everybody else and he comes second and he’s not at one of the biggest clubs, let’s not forget.

“I always believe the manager is the most important person at a club and he is testament to that because that was a team who were flirting with relegation and within a couple of years they’re in the Champions League.

“It is phenomenal what he has done.”

ORE ON ARSENAL FROM F365:
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Jhon Duran’s 79th-minute goal saw Aston Villa produce a memorable repeat of their famous 1982 European Cup final victory over Bayern Munich as they won 1-0 in the Champions League at Villa Park.

On Duran, Emery said: “He arrived here two years ago and he is young, his potential is huge.

“Sometimes he has been impatient and I need to speak to him as a person and connect to him as a person.

“As well as a player to try to let him play, putting him on the field because his talent is there and the capacity to help us.”