LONDON • Given Arsenal's abysmal away form this term, with just one clean sheet on the road in the Premier League, it is understandable why Unai Emery is remaining notably cagey about reaching the Europa League final on May 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Despite beating Valencia 3-1 in the first leg of their semi-final on Thursday, the Gunners manager admitted that the tie is still very much up for grabs as "the second leg is going to be very difficult and maybe different".
Alexandre Lacazette's brace and an added-time strike from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang earned the hosts the advantage after Mouctar Diakhaby had given the Spanish LaLiga side an early lead.
But, as a former coach of Valencia, which is owned by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, Emery is keenly aware of the hostile environment his side will have to contend with in the reverse fixture at the Mestalla next Thursday.
The Spaniard said: "It's a good result, but I consider it 50-50 in this one. They are going to feel strong with their supporters there.
"Playing there after this result, the atmosphere is going to be a very, very tough against us. That's normal. They are one team with a habit of playing semi-finals and also with the possibility to come back from this result."
And Valencia coach Marcelino, whose side have never lost at home to the Gunners in three previous meetings, agreed that "at the Mestalla, we can hurt them".
The Spaniard said: "I don't think any Valencia fan will think they were particularly stronger than us. We are excited and optimistic. If we have our fans behind us and get things right, we can win next week.
"The result has been excessive. They have been very decisive. They had more success and effectiveness, we hope to have that little bit of luck and success in the return.
"The tie is not decided and, with our people, we are going to make things difficult for Arsenal.
"It (the result) puts us in a more complicated situation, but in no case takes away from our minds that we can go to the final. This helps us to believe in ourselves and to believe that we can win."
In Germany, Chelsea set a Europa League record of 16 successive matches unbeaten after a 1-1 first-leg semi-final draw at Eintracht Frankfurt, with a Pedro equaliser cancelling out Luka Jovic's opener.
While Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri's decision to name Eden Hazard on the bench raised eyebrows, the Blues dominated the second half, with David Luiz unlucky not to get the second goal after rattling the crossbar from a free kick.
REUTERS
Valencia reached the semi-finals thanks to a stunning turnaround against Basel, winning 5-3 on aggregate, despite a 3-0 first-leg loss in Switzerland. And Emery remains wary of his former club's
Champions League: PSG boss Emery cautious despite Barcelona
'We need to play there thinking to win': Unai Emery insists Arsenal will attack Valencia in Europa League semi-final. Arsenal take a 3-1 lead into Europa League semi-final second leg at Valencia
Unai Emery Admits He Doesn't Know if Aaron Ramsey Will Play
Emery wary of Valencia's recovery potential in 2nd leg LONDON • Given Arsenal's abysmal away form this term, with just one clean sheet on the road in the Premier League, it is understandable why Unai Emery is remaining notably cagey about reaching the Europa League final on May 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Emery wary of Pellegrini's Hammers | Arseblog News - the
Emery wary of Valencia's recovery potential in 2nd leg. Ex-Barca great Xavi to go into coaching. Landmark decision opens 'Pandora's box' premium. Semenya victimised, vilified for who she is.
Unai Emery insists Arsenal will attack Valencia in second leg
Emery wary of Valencia's recovery potential in 2nd leg
Emery wary of Valencia's recovery potential in 2nd leg Alexandre Lacazette watches as Valencia goalkeeper Neto is unable to prevent the striker's header from crossing the line to give Arsenal the
Emery wary of Valencia's recovery potential in 2nd leg
A cautious Unai Emery refused to get carried away despite Paris Saint-Germain's stunning 4-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League. The French champions hammered Barca in the last-16 first
This post was originally published on this site Arsenal manager Unai Emery is unsure if Aaron Ramsey will play for the club again after limping off in the Gunners' 1-0 win at Napoli in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final. Ramsey, who has already agreed to join Juventus in the summer on a […]
Arsenal stars laugh while in a huddle during training as they
Unai Emery says he's expecting a big tactical challenge from Manuel Pellegrini when Arsenal face West Ham United at the London Stadium. The two men know each other well from their La Liga days with the boss, in charge of Valencia at the time, tackling the Chilean's sides at Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga.
The Straits Times - Breaking News, Lifestyle & Multimedia News
Emery's side take on Valencia in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday night, having lost all three games without Ramsey since he was forced off in Naples.
Emery: No time for sentiment in semi-final | FourFourTwo
Jurgen Klopp's men needed to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg to book their place in the Champions League final and they did just that and Emery will be wary of Valencia taking
Arsenal vs Valencia - Ramsey will not play for Arsenal again
No comments:
Post a Comment