Villarreal manager Unai Emery garnered high acclaim after he led his side to an upset UEFA Champions League quarterfinal victory over Bayern Munich. The tie win brought many to debate on whether Emery is a world-class manager in world football, although some skeptics have pointed out his underwhelming tenures at Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal as to why he should not be tabbed as a top coach today.
For former French forward Jerome Rothen, he has not quite gotten over Emery’s run at PSG. The former PSG winger spoke on his “Rothen s’enflamme” program on RMC Sport, where he reflected on Emery’s two-season tenure with the Ligue 1 powerhouse.
“His time at PSG was a failure,” Rothen said. “Everything he put in place, it did not work. In addition, unfortunately for him, in terms of image, he is the coach of the worst episode in the history of the club. So there is necessarily an impact on his image. … PSG has become the laughing stock of the whole of France and Unai Emery was part of it.”
Emery sure has gone on to redeem himself as a manager, from leading Villarreal to a UEFA Europa League tournament win last season to guiding the La Liga side to this season’s Champions League semifinals.
