Pep Guardiola: Unai Emery Sacked at Arsenal Due to Results, Not Language Barrier

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said Unai Emery was sacked by Arsenal because of their poor run of results and not for his struggles in speaking English.

Arsenal, who host City on Sunday, sacked Emery on November 29 after a seven-match winless run.

Per the Mail on Sunday's Joe Bernstein, Guardiola said of his compatriot:

"I cannot deny that communication is important but if he won more games, the communication would be seen as perfect.

"It is not easy to speak in a different language. I did it Germany but there a lot of other weapons in how to communicate; the hands, the body, emotions, images.

"The capacity of Unai [to speak English] was not the reason he has left Arsenal, no doubt about that. It happened because he didn't win games. A manager is analysed differently depending on the result even though it is the same guy there."

Emery spoke English to the media and in the dressing room without a translator throughout his tenure at Arsenal despite having some difficulties with the language.

TalkSport's Natalie Sawyer took issue with the way criticism of his English often devolved into mocking:

The extent to which his struggles with English contributed to his sacking has been widely discussed since he was relieved of his duties at the Emirates Stadium.

Jonathan Liew wrote in the Guardian that while his linguistic skills were not the reason he was fired, they became a problem in the dressing room when results took a turn and accelerated his departure.

Football writer Simon Curtis shared a similar opinion:

As Guardiola noted, though, the team's disappointing run of results were the cause of his exit. The Gunners missed out on UEFA Champions League football last season as they finished fifth in the Premier League and lost to Chelsea in the UEFA Europa League final.

Arsenal were eight points off the top four when Emery was sacked and—although it did not stop them reaching the knockout phase—had just lost 2-1 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

OptaJoe provided further insight into their poor form:

Results haven't particularly improved under interim manager Freddie Ljungberg, either.

In his four games in charge, the team have beaten West Ham United but they've also lost to Brighton & Hove Albion and drawn with Norwich City and Standard Liege.

The Gunners can close the gap on fourth-place Chelsea to four points if they beat City on Sunday, but they have not won against the champions in the league since 2015.