How does Messi prove Arsenal made a mistake with Unai Emery?

Arsenal legend Robert Pires has explained why the club should’ve given former manager Unai Emery more time before sacking him.

Lionel Messi’s struggles to adapt to Ligue 1 are an example of why Arsenal should’ve given Unai Emery more time.

That’s according to Robert Pires. The Gunners legend is a fan of Emery’s attacking football philosophy. He has suggested the Spaniard didn’t get a fair chance of succeeding at the Emirates.

Under Emery, Arsenal managed 43 wins in 78 games (D15 L20) between July 2018 and November 2019. The club achieved a fifth-place Premier League finish and a Europa League runners-spot during the coach’s one full season in 2018/19 before his untimely dismissal.

However, Emery has rebuilt his reputation with Villarreal. He led the Spanish side to a famous 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s Champions League first-leg quarter-final clash.

Now Pires has suggested Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke made a rash decision in sacking Emery.

“It’s impossible to compare Emery and Arsene Wenger in their times at Arsenal,” the former Gunners and Villarreal winger told LiveScore.

“But the owner could have given him more time. It was difficult for him, especially with the language. I thought he did a good job at the time. Unfortunately for him and Arsenal, they lost the 2019 Europa League final to Chelsea in Baku. The pressure on the manager is hard.”

🗣️ Unai Emery believes that Arsenal fans did not have the same amount of patience with him as they do now with Mikel Arteta…

Do you agree with this? 🤔#Emery #Arteta #Arsenal pic.twitter.com/XE4Jj94ij6

— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) April 6, 2022

Messi proof that everyone needs time

Pires then pointed to Messi’s struggles in Ligue 1 as an example of why people need time to adapt. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored just three goals in 19 games for Paris Saint-Germain. His performances have been a far cry from his days at former side Barcelona.

“Managers and players need time,” Pires added.

“When you change country, you change everything. I understand football, it’s international, but it’s not the same, country to country. Every country has a specific way of playing football. That’s why sometimes for a manager or a player, the time to adapt can be longer.

“Can you imagine we talk about Lionel Messi, one of the best players in the world, and look what’s happened with his move to PSG in France. I repeat, it takes time to adapt. Even for Messi, it has been difficult because Ligue 1 is more physical than LaLiga.”

Emery and Villarreal will face Bayern Munich again next Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. At the time of writing, Bet365 has priced the Yellow Submarine at 9.50 for the victory. This suggests they have a 10.5% chance of winning in Germany.