Often when managers arrive at a struggling club the immediate response is a complete overhaul in a desperate attempt to turn things around, but in Unai Emery’s 14 months at Aston Villa he has transformed them from relegation candidates to Champions League hopefuls without any such tear-up.
When the Spaniard arrived from Villarreal Aston Villa were 16th in the Premier League and a point above the relegation zone. On Friday night he has a chance to take them top when they host Sheffield United, a match they will be expected to win.
Only Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool have secured more Premier League points since Emery took over. He has heightened expectations after a club record 15 consecutive home wins, the most recent against City and Arsenal. The Holte End fears no one with Emery in the dugout because the squad has all the components necessary for a tilt at the top four.
I have been to Villa Park a few times since Emery’s appointment. The stadium is fantastic, there is a lot of history there and it pains me to say it as a Birmingham City fan but they have a team playing really good football – it is enjoyable to go there and watch them. The table does not lie and after 17 matches Villa find themselves third, a point behind the leaders, Arsenal, and four ahead of the champions, City. This is not a fluke or an accident – it is down to the incredible work of Emery and his squad.
Last January Emery made Àlex Moreno and Jhon Durán the only additions to a squad that had won two of their opening 11 league games. Emery worked with the players he was given, recognising the qualities they had. Everyone knew Villa were getting a top-quality manager who makes sure his teams are really well drilled, but he did not build an attacking or exciting side at Villarreal, which has made the changes at Villa more impressive.
Under Emery Villa are well organised, which is a characteristic of the Spaniard’s teams. He has brought in that defensive side of the game where they are hard to beat at home but also made them good on the eye. He is a football obsessive – first in, last out at the training ground. His video analytical reviews are extremely thorough and his attention to detail is incredibly high, which shows in how Villa’s players understand their roles and responsibilities, especially when it comes to the opposition and how to combat those strengths.
Coaches can have as much understanding of the game as they like but if they cannot communicate that knowledge to the players, then you will have a problem. The best managers have the ability to deliver something highly detailed with minimal words or to explain something visually in a simple way. When you watch Villa it is apparent that everyone knows what they are doing both in and out of possession. Clearly Emery is doing something right.
Video footage does not lie and that helps Emery to get his message across. I did a pre-game interview with Ollie Watkins and he said how the manager doesn’t want him to make runs outside the width of the 18-yard box. These can be simple details but make a huge difference. It doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to be effective, and it is working.
Tactics are important but Villa also have the fundamentals right with a strong spine. They have a fantastic goalkeeper in the World Cup winner Emi Martínez. He is the sort of player and character any team would want. Diego Carlos has come in and done well, the Tyrone Mings injury was a massive loss but it meant Pau Torres was allowed to move from full-back to his preferred position on the left side and Ezri Konsa has gone from strength to strength, putting him in the frame for a spot at the Euros.
Emery has access to a lot of quality central midfielders and has found a formation that allows them to flourish. Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey can dominate in midfield thanks to Emery’s tactical nous. In attack, the relationship of Moussa Diaby and Watkins has grown quickly despite not much time together, and Leon Bailey has found greater consistency than under previous managers.
One of the questions remaining for Villa is whether their squad can cope with playing twice a week for the remainder of the season if they make further progress in the Europa Conference League and have a decent FA Cup run. The summer signings of Torres, Diaby and Youri Tielemens were shrewd. If Emery can add a backup striker to Watkins and an extra full-back or winger for options out wide, it would boost their chances of maintaining this fantastic form. Emery deserves backing in the market.
There have been few better seasons to challenge for a Champions League spot, especially as fifth could be enough. Tottenham are inconsistent, Newcastle’s injuries and European distractions have taken their toll in recent weeks and Manchester United are up and down, whereas Villa have remained consistent. The big question for Villa is their away form. They go to Manchester United on Boxing Day and Everton in their first match of the new year. Those tests could indicate how the remainder of the season will go but they are more than capable of finishing where they sit today.
