Wenger Accuses Emery Of Trying To Make Excuses For His Failures

Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has responded to claims from his successor Unai Emery that the Gunners were on a “downward slope” when his tenure ended insisting the Spanish coach is looking to make excuses for his own failings

Wenger left Arsenal in 2018 when his contract became due to bring to an end a phenomenal reign that spanned 22 years.

By the time the Frenchman left the club, Arsenal had slipped out of the Premier League’s top four after hitherto qualifying  for the champions league a record 17 consecutive seasons

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Emery was charged with the task of rebuilding, but the Spaniard struggled across 18 months before being relieved of his duties moving him to claim to have inherited a team in decline, with there little that he could have done to fix underlying issues in such a short space of time.

Wenger, though, has suggested that Emery is simply making excuses for his failures.

“In 2017 we made 75 points and won the FA Cup so you cannot say that [Arsenal were in decline] and the year before [2016] we finished second in the league," Wenger said at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

“2018 was my last year but it is very difficult to come out on that.

“Arsenal is a club that is in a very strong position financially. It has good players, after that when you are a manager you have to stand up for what you do and your results and not look around you.

“That is the only thing you can do.”

Emery, having been relieved by the gunners last year after a terrible run of form, In an effort to explain his struggles, told reporters: “Arsenal was a club on a downward slope for two years before I arrived.

“We stopped this fall and even began to rebuild the club with the Europa League final and fifth place in the league, only one point off Tottenham despite the fact that we took just one point in our final five matches.

“We had Champions League qualification in our grasp and it went wrong in the end. But it was a good season and we had this notion of continuing to improve.”

Arsene Wenger has left the managerial scene after being appointed as Fifa's new chief of global football development in  2019.