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Super Bowl 2019: Arsenal boss Unai Emery given target by Josh Kroenke
UNAI EMERY is the man to take Arsenal back to the Super Bowl of European football, according to the son of Gunners owner Stan Kroenke, Josh.
Arsenal reached the final of the Champions League in the 2005-2006 season, losing 2-1 to Barcelona.
The north Londoners haven’t come close to reaching the final since the 2008-09 season, crashing out at the semi-final stage at the hands of Manchester United.
Arsenal fans have been longing for the club to return to Europe’s elite club competition and make a serious challenge for the trophy.
Emery has been appointed to do just that, and Josh Kroenke reckons he can emulate the success of the Los Angeles Rams - who his father owns - and their head coach Sean McVay and guide the Gunners back to the promised land.
“It will be fun to cross-pollinate,” Josh Kroenke told the Daily Telegraph ahead of this year’s Super Bowl, in which the Rams will take on the New England Patriots.
“Sean wants to make it over for an Arsenal match and Unai is keen to meet him.
“It’s culturally different but I think that they have a lot of common and will both gain from the experience.
“We feel like we have a great teacher in Unai. I think he and Sean are very comparable in the way they approach their craft on a daily basis.
The only thing on a par with the Super Bowl is Arsenal making the Champions League final
“There is a lot of data they break down. They are very active on the practice pitch.
“Their styles are similar even though they are half a world apart. Unai’s energy is contagious and his dedication is immense.
“They love what they do and are also leaders. The players want to run through a wall for them.
“To see where Sean has taken us in a short amount of time gives us a lot of confidence. The only thing on a par with the Super Bowl is Arsenal making the Champions League final.
“It is something we are very focussed on.
"I have been telling my friends all week that the Super Bowl is the biggest spectacle that we have here and the Champions League is something in Europe that we strive for and we look forward to being a part of in the future.”
Arsenal will next be in action on Sunday evening, travelling to the Etihad to take on defending champions Manchester City.
The Los Angeles Rams, meanwhile, will look to win their first Super Bowl since 1999 in the early hours of Monday morning.