Unai Emery reveals how he used to bet against his own team

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery has revealed that he had so little confidence as a player that he would back his own team to lose by betting against. In the biography ‘Unai Emery, El Maestro’, published today, Emery says: “My footballing career was more painful than joyful. To some extent, fear was always at the back of my mind. “To give you an example, when I was a player at Toledo, two friends and I always filled out betting slips for the results. “One weekend we were playing at Elche and I bet on them to win because they were favourites and that was logical. “I went to pay the girl who had to stamp my slip. “She was a Toledo supporter and she stared and me and asked ‘How can you put Elche down to win? How can you do that?’ “I really learned a lesson from her. How could I be playing in a match thinking we were going to lose? “That was the start of a learning process to change my mindset.” The boss admitted that even today he still relies on a number of motivational self-help books to cope with the pressures of management. “When I was a player, all the pressures I felt to perform my duties created a lot of anxiety in me. “I didn’t know how to manage that on my own and I was missing someone who could teach me to control my emotions. “I once said that I was a ‘cagon’ — someone who is s***-scared — although I was exaggerating a little. “My doubts and fears as a player helped me to learn how to manage the pressures of being a manager and my work with the players. I’ve also relied a great deals on books about self-confidence and personal development. “A lot of what I read has allowed me to apply these ideas to the players and when I became a coach I read a lot more about psychology, group management and leadership in order to overcome all the weaknesses I had as a player. “I’ve always offered books to my players, although not all of them. “If I’ve found some books useful, I buy them and then target the players they could be helpful to.

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