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Balague takes swipe at Arsenal fans after dramatic night of Champions League action
Spanish football expert Guillen Balague has taken a dig at Arsenal for their treatment of former Gunners manager Unai Emery.
Emery’s Villarreal caused a huge upset in the Champions League last night as they knocked out German giants Bayern Munich to reach the last four.
The former Paris Saint Germain boss could face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool for a spot in the Champions League final which will now be held in Paris.
The 50-year-old took charge of 78 games for Arsenal before being sacked in November 2019.
Emery won 43 games during his time with the North Londoners while he drew 15 games and lost 20.
The Spaniard took over at the El Madrigal in July 2020 and he guided the Yellow Submarine to the Europa League title last season after beating Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United on penalties.
Despite finishing seventh in La Liga, winning the Europa League saw Villarreal automatically qualify for the Champions League group stages.
In a group containing Manchester United and Atalanta, Villarreal qualified for the last-16 where they were drawn against Italian giants Juventus.
Emery’s side saw off the Old Lady and set up a quarter-final tie with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
After winning the first leg at the El Madrigal thanks to a goal from former Bournemouth man Arnaut Danjuma, who has been an inspired signing by Emery, the second leg at the Allianz Arena looked to be heading for extra time.
Robert Lewandowski’s goal gave Bayern the lead on the night, but Samuel Chukwueze scored an 88th-minute winner to send the Bavarian giants crashing out the competition.
Villarreal currently sit seventh in La Liga with seven games remaining and they are eight points off the European places as it stands.
But their dream run in the Champions League spearheaded by Emery is showing no signs of stopping.
Following last night’s upset, Balague sung Emery’s praises and couldn’t resist making a dig at the Arsenal fans who didn’t see Emery’s worth.
After back-to-back Premier League losses against Crystal Palace and Brighton, Arsenal’s stranglehold on the fourth Champions League spot has slipped and Antonio Conte’s Tottenham have seized the initiative.