Chelsea & Arsenal have had inconsistent seasons under their new managers, but the Europa League final poses a chance for both Emery and Sarri to capture success in their first year.
When Arsenal and Chelsea hired Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri respectively last summer to take over from their previous managers, the 2 hires were met with significantly different reaction. This most likely had to do with how they finished off with their previous clubs.
Maurizio Sarri was a revelation in Italy after a lengthy career, working his way up from the 8th division right to the very top. His Napoli team was superb, and he ended off with them on a high, finishing 2nd in Serie A against all the odds, nearly nicking the title from Juventus.
Unai Emery on the other hand, didn’t finish off with the best of times at PSG.
Sure, he won the Ligue 1 which is more than Sarri has won in his entire career, but the expectations at their respective clubs, along with the competition of the leagues they competed in, were vastly different. For a 2nd consecutive season, Emery failed to progress deep into the Champions League despite £400 million + investment on the likes of Neymar and Mbappe, which forced PSG into letting him go.
So when Chelsea hired Sarri, many were excited, but when Arsenal hired Emery, many were disappointed.
However, now that the season is complete, we can look back and say that both managers have done a relatively similar job with their sides. Both instilled an entirely new brand of football into their clubs, while integrating some new players and finding new roles for others. Both Emery and Sarri also had significant ups and downs throughout the season. Chelsea beat every other top 6 side at least once, but struggled to break down deep blocks all season long, and eventually finished in 3rd thanks to Arsenal’s major slip up toward the finish line.
Sarri’s new signings didn’t exactly light it up, as Kepa, Jorginho, Kovacic, and Higuain have all done more wrong than right this season. The opposite is the case for Unai Emery, who’s signings of Torreira, Sokratis, Guendouzi, and Leno have all made a good impression in the first-team. Emery failed to fix Arsenal’s awful away form, but they played far better in high-intensity fixtures than seasons past, and they only narrowly missed out on the top 4.
The person I feel bad for the most in all this is Sarri, because if we lose the final everyone will start pointing fingers to him despite his best players completely gone.
— Mod (@CFCMod_) May 26, 2019
The Europa League final is a great chance for both of these managers to bring some silverware to their new clubs, but Unai Emery and Arsenal have far more riding on this result than Maurizio Sarri and Chelsea. Firstly, Chelsea have already qualified for next seasons Champions League through the Premier League, so they don’t need to win the Europa League for that reason.
Arsenal on the other hand, desperately need Champions League football next season and winning this match is their only way of doing so.
Also, Chelsea have already won this competition as little as 6 years ago, when they triumphed over Benfica in 2013 thanks to Branislav Ivanovic’s late goal. They have also won the Champions League. Arsenal have won neither, which makes this an opportunity for them to win their first major European trophy.
Whether you are critical of them or not, Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri have both had fluctuating seasons filled with great highs and disappointing lows. If the both of them ended the season without a trophy, there would be significant criticism, but now, they both have a chance to win a major European honour for their clubs in their first season – but who will capture it?