Fans of Premier League football can often be reactionary. It’s easy to forget what a fantastic manager Unai Emery was before his struggles at Arsenal began. On the back of three Europa League titles with Sevilla, he also got the Gunners to the final before their capitulation in Baku, and since leaving north London in 2019 reached the Champions League final with Villarreal.
Despite what many people believe, Emery is still a top manager. He is known for taking ragtag groups of players and transforming them into well-oiled machines. His yellow submarine last season reached the last four of a major European competition despite containing mostly Premier League outcasts and otherwise unknown journeymen from across Spain. And now he is working his magic again with Aston Villa.
Against all the odds when online betting on sports, Villa could somehow qualify for Europe this season. If the form table began when Emery was appointed following the sacking of Steven Gerrard, Villa would be third. That’s how influential he has been, currently seventh at the time of writing.
From both a tactical and man-management point of view, Emery has shaped his image at Villa Park and is now on a purple patch that could see them in the UEFA Europa Conference League. But how did the Spaniard who had his image tarnished in the capital become so loved in the west Midlands? Read on, as we look at the tweaks Emery has made at Villa to get them ticking.
Stylistic changes
Emery’s key philosophy is to ensure his team are solid at the back but fluid going forward. While he deploys a conventional 4-4-2, his wingers are usually centre midfielders, recently in Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn. This allows them to tuck in and essentially overload the middle third of the pitch, suffocating opponents, while transitioning to a 4-2-3-1 when in possession. There are similarities between this side and Villarreal, with forwards coming back to help out defensively and a sole striker the focal point for hold-up play and creativity.
Faith in Ollie Watkins
Speaking of that forward in the system, Emery deserves massive credit for the transformation of Ollie Watkins. If the European Championships were this summer, Watkins would surely be in for a shout in the England team according to Paddy Power news. Strong and quick, his physical attributes often overshadow his great positional work, with the striker timing his runs even better under the Spaniard than he was before. The departure of Danny Ings to West Ham ensured he would be the focal point of attack and with 12 goals this season he is more than repaying the favour.
Beating those around them
While it is important to perform against the conventional top-six teams, Emery has also managed to get his team to beat those around them. Capitalising on Chelsea’s poor form, Villa beat them 2-0 and carried that momentum into a tough win away at Nottingham Forest as well as beat Leicester City. Not only are these big wins geographically, sweeping aside the rest of the Midlands, but those wins take Villa to the next level in terms of the table, pushing them into the top eight rather than the midtable scrap that has dragged in so many teams. Despite this, Emery insists each game is a challenge and his team can still do more.
“Each match is very different,” he said. “I’m very demanding with our idea, our style, and how we can improve each match getting better. Today, I’m very, very happy with the result but I’m going to analyse the game because I think we can do better and improve.
“We can be demanding of ourselves to continue in our way.”
