Fulham’s Slavisa Jokanovic has praised Unai Emery’s “brave” approach to replacing Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.
Emery’s team visit Jokanovic’s at Craven Cottage on Sunday when they will be looking for a ninth successive win, with which they could potentially climb above rivals Tottenham in the Premier League.
He has so far impressed amid the intense scrutiny that comes with being chosen to succeed Wenger after his 22-year reign, also overseeing the departure of the popular Jack Wilshere and the club’s withdrawal from talks with Aaron Ramsey regarding a new contract.
Most recently Emery has attempted to play with two strikers in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, and Jokanovic said: “They reset the club in some ways after Wenger, choosing a different (philosophy).
“The team right now is brave; really offensive at a good level. Arsenal’s an important club so he doesn’t have much space to make mistakes, but there’s enough quality for him.
“It’s not an easy place to arrive when someone’s been coaching Arsenal for 22 years. They found a really good, quality coach.
“I’ve followed him; for the last 10 years he’s been at a really top level with Sevilla, Valencia, Paris Saint-Germain and in Russia. He’s good tactically; he’s really good at planning offensive and defensive set-pieces. He’s a great worker.”
Injuries suffered by Joe Bryan and Timothy Fosu-Mensah mean Jokanovic is again confronted with the prospect of making multiple changes to Fulham’s defence.
The on-loan Calum Chambers is ineligible against his parent club, though Tom Cairney and Alfie Mawson are pushing to start, the latter following his recovery from a back injury.
“He seems to live the profession 24 hours a day,” the Fulham manager, 50, said about Emery.
“I believe he’s going to be successful with the team. He’s started really well after those two games (defeats by Manchester City and Chelsea).”
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