Patrick Vieira believes Unai Emery is the right man for the job and tells Arsenal fans to "get behind" him

Unai Emery

Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira has called on the club's fans to "get behind" under-fire manager Unai Emery.

Many supporters have lost faith in the Spaniard after a run of just two wins in the Gunners' last 10 Premier League games.

A 2-0 loss to top-four rivals Leicester on Saturday means they are now eight points adrift of the Champions League qualification places.

However, head of football Raul Sanllehi and managing director Vinai Venkatesham threw their weight behind Emery in a staff meeting on Monday.

And Vieira, who won three Premier League titles and three FA Cups in north London, has called for unity at his former club.

"It's true Arsenal are going through a tough spell," the Nice manager told reporters. "But I haven't watched all their matches, so I can't talk about their game.

"They have a coach who is qualified and who works well. When a club is having a difficult time, it's important to be united. I think he has enough experience to get them through this difficult spell.

"We have to get behind him and give him time to change things. I am not sure a change of manager will fix the problems."

Vieira was himself linked with the position at the Emirates Stadium when Arsene Wenger departed in summer 2018.

The former France international has also been spoken of as a potential replacement for Emery, although his Nice side are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Ligue 1 table.

Arsenal will hope to close the gap separating them from the top four after the international break, when they will welcome struggling Southampton to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners then face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, before Premier League clashes with Norwich, Brighton and West Ham.

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).