Francis Coquelin believes Arsenal should have been more patient with coach Unai Emery and says he deserves more credit for what he accomplished in England and at Paris Saint-Germain.
The Spaniard lasted less than two years at PSG, stepping down after failing to guide the team past the last 16 of the Champions League on both occasions.
He then took over as Arsenal boss in 2018, replacing long-term icon Arsene Wenger at the helm, but was sacked just 18 months later.
What did Coquelin say about Emery's time at Arsenal?
Despite guiding the Gunners to the Europa League final in his first season, Emery was relieved of his duties in November 2019 because of a string of bad results.
Coquelin, who left Arsenal before Emery's arrival but now plays under him at Villarreal, feels the 50-year-old deserved more time.
“In many places," he said to The Guardian when asked if the club did not have enough patience with Emery.
“Look at Paris Saint-Germain: look at what they’re doing now and it’s not any better than when he was there.
"Unfortunately, football doesn’t have patience. For Unai, I think the language barrier was difficult.
"He needs to communicate his message to his players. He does that easily here; it was more difficult at PSG and Arsenal. He has huge credit here, and deserves that."
What did Coquelin say about Villarreal's victory against Bayern Munich?
Coquelin is one of several Villarreal players who have played in the Premier League.
Etienne Capoue, Vicente Iborra, Arnaut Danjuma, Giovani Lo Celso, Alberto Moreno, Serge Aurier and Juan Foyth all have varying levels of experience in the English top flight.
Coquelin believes the Premier League influence played a key role in his side's victory against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and hopes it can help them in this week's semi-final against Liverpool.
He added: “The Premier League is probably the best league in the world and the physical nature helps when you go [elsewhere].
"We still have a Spanish mentality playing in Spain: possession football, playing from the back.
"It’s more at this stage of European football that it’s important to have the baggage of physicality and technique.
"You see a team like Bayern: obviously technically they’re good but physically they’re very strong, too.
"They would really fit in the Premier League. And I think English experience is something that did help us there.
"The manager has been there and many players know what it’s about. Hopefully that will be an asset against Liverpool."
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