Jamie Redknapp: What I love about Arsenal manager Unai Emery
The Spurs legend heaps praise on Arsenal manager Unai Emery after their north London derby triumph
Jamie Redknapp has lavished praise on Unai Emery after Arsenal’s 4-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur at The Emirates on Sunday.
Mesut Ozil missed the game and was not included in the matchday squad due to a back problem.
Arsenal eased into a 1-0 lead after a brilliant performance in the opening 30 minutes at the Emirates Stadium.
However, Eric Dier and Harry Kane scored two goals in six minutes against the run of play to give Spurs a 2-1 half-time advantage.
Emery opted to bring on Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette for Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the start of the second half.
Ramsey made two assists to tee up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lacazette to give Arsenal the lead before Lucas Torreira’s late goal.
The Arsenal manager was credited for a some great tactical decisions during the north London derby to help the Gunners hoist themselves above Spurs.
Former Tottenham captain Redknapp has heaped praise on Emery for his willingness to make big decisions.
“What I love most about him is that he is not afraid to make the big calls,” Redknapp told the Daily Mail. “Last week he had no problem leaving out Mesut Ozil, Arsenal’s highest-paid player.
“Ozil is said to be suffering from a back injury this week but had he been fit, I doubt that Emery would have changed a winning team to accommodate him.
“Then, with Arsenal trailing at half-time in a hot-tempered derby, he threw on Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette to shake things up. Both players made an instant impact from the bench.
“Sensing Tottenham were there for the taking, Emery then replaced centre back Shkodran Mustafi with midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, made a tactical switch from a back three to a back four and went for the jugular.
“Watching that display, the Arsenal board must have been wondering why they waited so long to make a change in the dugout.”
Emery took over the reins of Arsenal from Arsene Wenger in the summer after the Gunners finished in sixth spot in the Premier League table last term.
The north London side will take on Manchester United in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
