Arsenal “disrespected” Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, according to Rio Ferdinand.
The former Manchester United defender was speaking after Villa defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in north London on Saturday. Pau Torres and Ollie Watkins scored to secure the victory, and Ferdinand had some strong thoughts after the game.
He mentioned Emery, who has done wonders since joining Villa in October 2022, when he took over as manager from Steven Gerrard. It is his second stint in England, having previously managed Arsenal from May 2018 to November 2019. His Arsenal team finished second in the Europa League but were unable to replicate that form at the start of the following season.
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“Unai Emery is doing a madness,” Ferdinand said of the Spaniard’s time at Villa. Arsenal completely disrespected him.”
Looking at Tottenham, Ferdinand added, “That Spurs squad is decimated.” It’s been decimated in terms of injuries.”
He was not the only pundit to praise Emery following the game. Jamie Carragher examined an Emery tactic that saw Villa catch Tottenham offside five times.
“No matter who you are defensively, no matter what system you play, whether you’re home or you’re away, no matter where you are from the world, the most important thing defensively for any team is being compact,” the coach said. “You could decide where that line is, but as long as there’s 25 to 30 yards between your players from back to front, that’s what he does.”
“You can see from the numbers that it’s been a huge success.” I also believe it is one of the reasons they have struggled away from home in certain games.”
