David Luiz has 'a lot of admiration' for sacked Arsenal manager Unai Emery

Action Images via Reuters
Action Images via Reuters

David Luiz insists he still has “a lot of admiration” for Unai Emery, even after the sacked manager questioned the attitude of some Arsenal players during his time at the club.

Emery was dismissed by Arsenal back in November after a miserable run of form that had seen them slide down the Premier League table.

The Spaniard is now out of work and has given several interviews that have lifted the lid on his time at Emirates Stadium.

Most recently, Emery gave an interview to France Football in which he said “some stars did not have the right attitude and asked for more than they gave”.

Such comments from Emery could have prompted a backlash from members of the Arsenal squad but, when asked for his view on them, Luiz said: “I think Unai is a great coach, a great person.

“The things didn’t work very well, especially the results, and it’s normal to try to find some answers with his vision.

“I don’t judge nobody. I still have a lot of admiration for him and I think it’s not intelligent from my point of view if I say something.

“I think he was a great, great guy, a great coach. In football we need the results, if the results aren’t coming everybody is going to try to find why and everybody has his vision.

“I think he has his vision and we have to accept that in a nice way and in a humble way.”

(Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
(Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

After Chelsea lost to Manchester United on Monday, Arsenal are now seven points off the Premier League’s top four with 12 games to go.

Their upcoming matches look winnable on paper, with Everton, West Ham, Brighton, Southampton and Norwich their next five opponents.

Luiz, however, has warned his team-mates they cannot afford to get complacent after slipping up earlier this season against those sides.

“We lose points with these type of teams so we can’t judge by the name because we lost points against almost all the teams because they do very well,” said the defender.

“But like I said, it is up to us to understand what we are doing every single day and to continue to improve.

“Don’t think about the name of the opponent, we have to try to win games and try to be there because we still have the possibility.”

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