Lichtsteiner talks about Emery’s cons: Xhaka deserves more respect

Stephan Lichtsteiner believes that Unai Emery had difficulty managing the big players during his time at Arsenal and points out that Granit Xhaka deserved more respect.

Unai Emeryt’s one-and-a-half year stint at Emirates Stadium came to an end on Friday, when the Spaniard was relieved of his duties as head coach after defeating Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

That result continued Arsenal’s unbeaten run in seven games in all competitions – the worst performance since 1992 – and continued the disappointing start to the 2019/20 season.

Emery received widespread criticism of the first line-up he played with and his insistence on starting action from the defense. His bad relationship with Mesut Ozil further aggravated the situation in the Emirates.

Lichtsteiner, who was the first player bought by Emery at Arsenal when he took over as head coach in the summer of 2018, thinks the Spanish strategist found it difficult to get the best out of some of the club’s stars.

“I would say he is a good coach, but he probably had some problems with the big players. “With the big players, he probably didn’t have the relationship to get more out of them and get top-notch performances,” Lichtsteiner said.

“Maybe I can say something negative about this point, but the rest was almost all positive. When a coach doesn’t play you for two months, it’s easy to criticize him. But this is not my style.”

When asked about Xhaka’s case, he said: “I understand both sides. I understand the fans because they are ambitious and want to win. They’re not happy, but I understand Granite because his reaction was human.”

“He deserves more respect because he gives the best to Arsenal. I see how he works, he’s 100 percent professional in his job. On the other hand, the bigger the club, the greater the pressure. As a player, you have to learn to manage the pressure because it’s part of the game.”