Plagued by a string of defeats and personnel issues, it is time for Arsenal to make a change, and that's according to Gunners legend Emmanuel Petit. The former midfielder, who won titles for the North London club in the late 1990s, has called for the sacking of Unai Emery.
The Frenchman said it was clear that Arsenal has lost the winning ways and in fact, only pocketed a victory in the last seven games. When the team faced Leicester City last weekend, what was seen is an overall "terrible performance," Petit said.
Emery's squad bowed to the Foxes at 2-0, and Petit blamed the manager for the humiliation, stressing there was no hunger for the Gunners to win and no spirit to wage a good fight.
"The results are not good at all. I don't recognize this team anymore and I don't recognize this club anymore," The Daily Mail reported Petit as saying.
He added that it was clear the Gunners have given on their coach as manifested by the players' lack of inspiration and creativity. Arsenal has been reduced to an average team, far removed from the stature of yesteryears, the Arsenal legend asserted.
The plain truth is that the club badly requires a change of leadership, and Petit declared: "I believe it's time for Unai Emery to leave Arsenal."
The Premier League table appears to support the position taken by the former Arsenal player. Out of the 12 games the club has so far played in the competition, only 17 points have been collected, and the team is not part of the top four.
In case the Arsenal board pays heed, Petit is convinced the best candidate to take the job from Emery would be the one who played with the club before. He recommended the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, or Freddie Ljungberg.
Vieira, in particular, should be of a notable choice as Petit said, "Patrick has done a very good job over two years at Nice."
The bottom line, he added, is "I wouldn't mind seeing a former player on the bench."
Earlier, however, Emery seemed to have won job security from Raul Sanllehi, who insisted last week that despite the clamor from Arsenal fans and the perceived sub-par performance by the Spanish boss, the team will remain supportive.
Petit, though, is not buying the vote of confidence given by the Arsenal board. He hinted that "it's the opposite of what they're saying that might be true."
"This is a political answer and most of the time when I hear officials or shareholders talk like this it's proof for me that they're already thinking about sacking the manager," Metro reported Petit as saying.
