Arsene Wenger has hit out at Unai Emery’s claims that Arsenal were a club in decline when he arrived.

While the Spaniard might have a bit of a point in claiming Arsenal were on the infamous downward spiral on the pitch when he arrived, he wasted no time turning that into a full-blown tailspin.

Since his sacking at the end of last year, Emery has been spouting all sorts of nonsense that blames everybody but himself for the mess Mikel Arteta is now trying to dig us out of.

Unsurprisingly, Arsene Wenger is having none of it.

“In 2017 we made 75 points and won the FA Cup so you cannot say that [Arsenal were in decline] and the year before [2016] we finished second in the league,” Wenger said at the Laureus World Sports Awards where he was handing out an award to Lewis Hamilton after winning the Lifetime Achievement award last year himself.

https://twitter.com/LaureusSport/status/1229475567143129088

“2018 was my last year but it is very difficult to come out on that,” Wenger told reporters at the event.

“Arsenal is a club that is in a very strong position financially. It has good players, after that when you are a manager you have to stand up for what you do and your result and not look around you.

“That is the only thing you can do.”

Despite how things ended at Arsenal for him, it’s hard to disagree with what Wenger is saying. The problem was we were stale and it was like groundhog day by 2018. We wanted and needed something different.

Unai Emery certainly gave us that…

The full list of winners from the awards:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Simone Biles

Laureus World Team of the Year: South Africa Men’s Rugby Team

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Egan Bernal

Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Sophia Flörsch

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Oksana Masters

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Chloe Kim

Laureus Best Sporting Moment: ‘Carried on the shoulders of a nation’ – Sachin Tendulkar

Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: Dirk Nowitzki

Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award: Spanish Basketball Federation

Laureus Sport for Good Award: South Bronx United