Arsenal: Unai Emery levels above Pochettino in yet another way

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has won more trophies than Mauricio Pochettino ever will, but yet again we’ve seen another reason why Emery is levels above.

Arsenal‘s 1-1 draw with Tottenham left Gunners wanting to much more and Spurs fans delusional. Unfortunately though, as the match was so entertaining, it was the referees that took the spotlight, with several questionable calls that left the integrity of the game in question.

It started with a missed call from a Granit Xhaka tackle with high cleats that should have been a yellow card. Then there was Danny Rose cleating Bernd Leno in the stomach for only a yellow with Lucas Torreira later seeing straight red for high cleats on Rose himself.

Davinson Sanchez, who had a really awful day, kicked Laurent Koscielny and a missed offside call all could be pointed at as game changers. And that’s not even including the potential penalty infractions.

A lot could have altered the course of the match. Frankly, I think it’s not even up for debate that the Gunners got the worse end of the stick with the missed offside call that would have ruled out the Shkodran Mustafi penalty. Sanchez and Rose also got off easy, which easily balances out Xhaka’s tackle, leaving the questionable Torreira red card and the offside unaccounted for.

But again, bad calls both ways, we need VAR (still) and refereeing is tough to do, we all know that, even when it’s frustrating.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

When talking to each manager after the match, you see a difference in class that further separates the levels between Unai Emery and Mauricio Pochettino, and this isn’t the first time we’ve seen it.

Unai Emery would not take the bait and blame the referees. He said that it was a hard-fought match, that refereeing is difficult, and that VAR will hopefully make it easier for them. No blame involved. He owned his part in the match.

Pochettino was the opposite, claiming that his Spurs weren’t just unlucky in this match, but unlucky this entire season, though he was only able to cite one other instance of them being unlucky (wonder why).

This is exactly the same as earlier in the year when Pochettino essentially endorsed his players flopping and Emery criticized his players for the same thing.

It’s all about levels here, and maturity, and character. Emery is a man who is willing to take responsibility, and who demands that his players do the same. Pochettino is always happy to shirk the blame and point the finger at someone or something else so that he doesn’t have to ever admit that he has done anything wrong.

It reminds me a lot of the class schism between Jose Mourinho, a serial ‘not my fault’-er, and Arsene Wenger, who is an incarnate gentleman.

I know I’m not the only one who is thrilled that this club values the character of our managers just as much as their ability, and that we don’t hire snivelers like Pochettino or Mourinho.