Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has appeared to aim a sly dig towards Arsenal over their decision to sack Aston Villa boss Unai Emery five years ago.
The Reds make the trip to Villa Park to meet the Champions League-chasing Lions in Monday's Premier League game, where Emery's men could seal qualification to Europe's premier tournament with all three points.
The 52-year-old has been nominated for the Premier League's Manager of the Season prize on account of his stellar work with the Lions, whose top-four finish will also be rubber-stamped before Monday if Tottenham Hotspur lose to Burnley this weekend.
Emery also led Aston Villa to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, which ended in Olympiacos heartbreak on Thursday evening, although his first stint in England with Arsenal did not go to plan.
The Spaniard had proven himself as a serial trophy winner with Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain before succeeding Arsene Wenger in 2018, but he was sacked just 16 months into his reign following a seven-game winless run.
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Klopp: 'Emery is one of the best in the business'
Emery subsequently won the 2020-21 Europa League with Villarreal - eliminating Arsenal in the process - and took the Yellow Submarine to the semi-finals of the 2021-22 Champions League before touching down in the West Midlands, and he recently extended his contract with the Lions until 2027.
Speaking in Friday's pre-game press conference, Klopp lauded Emery as one of the best managers around and claimed that some clubs were not prepared to wait for his counterpart to deliver success.
"Incredible job. Unai Emery is one of the best we have in the business, 100 per cent. Wherever he was he had success. Sometimes clubs were not ready to wait for it, maybe, if you look back probably these clubs would have made different decisions," Klopp said.
"I have known him for so long, I think when I met him first time he was managing in Moscow, it was in Russia I'm pretty sure at that time. That's really long ago and he always had a clear idea. Then he won plenty of times with Sevilla. It was really tricky for us when we faced him with Villarreal.
"He always organised a team extremely, extremely well. The job he is doing is absolutely exceptional. We all know how important it is for a club to qualify for the Champions League, how difficult it is to do that. And that he probably, very likely will do that, yeah, is absolutely exceptional. No other words for it."
Was sacking Emery the right decision by Arsenal?
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As exceptional as Emery's work has been during his time at Aston Villa, there is no ignoring the fact that Arsenal's displays were substandard during the closing stages of his North London reign.
Even the Spaniard's last win in the hotseat - a 3-2 Europa League triumph over Vitoria Guimaraes - was only achieved courtesy of two exquisite Nicolas Pepe free kicks, and his position became even more untenable during the Granit Xhaka Crystal Palace outburst.
Taking a punt on the juvenile Mikel Arteta saw the Gunners close out a troubled campaign with FA Cup glory, although it did not take long for the #ArtetaOut brigade to grow exponentially amid Arsenal's Premier League plight.
Fast-forward to 2024, though, and Arteta's transformation of the club on and off the pitch has brought the feel-good factor back to the Emirates, where the matchday atmosphere is arguably at its most vibrant since the glory days at Highbury.
Emery's work at Villa and abroad proves that he is an outstanding coach, but just not the right fit for Arsenal, whose loyalty in Arteta could yet be rewarded with the 2023-24 Premier League title.
Ben Knapton
