The image has something to smile about. Back in England to play friendlies with Villarreal, Unai Emery was given a special welcome. Before playing the match against Fulham this Sunday (4 p.m.), the former PSG coach was heckled by English fans who made fun of his accent. On leaving the bus while he was signing autographs, a British fan imitated him by launching a “Good ebening” (instead of evening, to say good evening), under the bursts of laughter from the others.
A second fan then joked about the Spanish technician’s move to Arsenal, saying: “I think you did a great job at Arsenal…”… A provocation that earned him a middle finger! On the Gunners bench during the 2019/2019 season, Unai Emery finished fifth in the Premier League and lost in the Europa League final against Chelsea (4-1). He ended up being sacked in November 2019, after just four wins in 13 league games.
But despite his poor results in England, the former Parisian tactician then revived at Villarreal where he won the Europa League in 2021. He also made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season by eliminating Bayern Munich in the quarters. A very nice revenge.