Unai Emery has revealed that Pep Guardiola once explained to him the difference between clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Emery used to coach PSG but was sacked by Nasser Al Khelaifi due to his failure in the Champions League. He didn’t make it past the last 16 in both of his seasons in the French capital.
Emery noted that there are three former PSG coaches in this season’s Champions League quarter-finals – himself, Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti. He explained that PSG’s failure in the Champions League is due to a complex that the club has.
“Guardiola once told me that teams like Barcelona or Real Madrid, having already won the competition, react better to difficult situations,” Emery said to L’Equipe as carried by Diario AS.
“The key is managing frustration.
“When Barcelona scored four and then five goals [in 2017] and the referee made a mistake we didn’t know what to do.
“Against Madrid [this season], the same thing happened.
“When [Karim] Benzema equalised and then scored the second goal I saw players I know well, like [Presnel] Kimpembe and Marquinhos, who didn’t know how to react because they were overcome with frustration.”
Emery is currently in charge of Villarreal and will face Bayern Munich at La Ceramica this evening. Tuchel is in charge of Chelsea and will face Ancelotti’s Madrid at Stamford Bridge.
Emery joined the Yellow Submarine in the summer of 2020 after losing his job with Arsenal. He’s since led them to glory in the Europa League, their first-ever major trophy in their history.
