TOM COLLOMOSSE: Unai Emery has transformed Aston Villa's prospects
TOM COLLOMOSSE: Unai Emery is the outstanding candidate to be crowned manager of the season after turning Aston Villa from an underachieving club to a serious force once again
- Unai Emery has been at Aston Villa over five months since Steven Gerrard’s exit
- The Spaniard, 51, has won 11 senior trophies in professional management
- Emery attributes Ollie Watkins’ form to a meeting soon after his arrival at Villa
The outstanding candidate to be Premier League manager of the season is the Spaniard who has turned an underachieving club into a serious force again.
With all respect for Mikel Arteta’s fabulous work at Arsenal, the masterpiece his fellow Basque is delivering 115 miles to the north-west deserves greater recognition.
Because in a little more than five months at Aston Villa, Unai Emery has picked up a squad heading for relegation and made them contenders for European football. They have taken 16 points from their last six games and – astonishingly – are only six points off a Champions League spot.
The many fans of Steven Gerrard might not like to hear it but rarely can a club of Villa’s level have improved its head coach so dramatically. Sacking Gerrard and appointing Emery – winner of 11 major trophies – in one fell swoop is a heck of an upgrade. Forget his difficult 18 months at Arsenal or his occasional difficulties speaking English, because this is a top manager in any language.
Speak to Villa sources about Emery and one word is repeated – superstar. The last person they said that about was Jack Grealish, the homegrown playmaker sold for £100million to Manchester City two years ago. Unable to replace Grealish on the pitch, Villa tried to do so in the dugout and so far, the results have been terrific. Here Sportsmail looks at the main areas where Emery has made a difference.
Mikel Arteta will be among the leading candidates to win manager of the season after his work at Arsenal
Unai Emery has transformed Aston Villa from an underachieving club to a serious force again
Analysis
Villa employees admitted to Emery’s office at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground have become used to seeing the 51-year-old hunched over his laptop, studying footage of Villa’s recent matches or those of their opponents.
On the train back from London after Villa’s 2-0 win at Chelsea, the first thing Emery did was whip out his laptop – as the photo posted on the club’s social media channels showed. He is based locally and spends up to 16 hours per day at the training ground.
There are long, detailed video sessions in the afternoons but these have greatly impressed players. Whereas previous bosses might have highlighted a mistake that led directly to a goal, Emery will rewind the video by as much as two minutes to focus on an error that set off the move.
Sometimes it will be as specific as a player’s body position when receiving the ball, or whether a pass was directed to a team-mate’s weaker foot.
Training days at Aston Villa often include detailed analysis of previous games which has impressed players
Communication
One of Emery’s first moves was to summon players one by one to his office at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground and once there, the player was given a detailed briefing – via clips on an iPad or laptop – of how he was required to perform.
The message was clear: Here is what I what I need you do, and if you do it, I can help you. Don’t worry too much about anything else.
While the 51-year-old has an air of authority and likes to keep a professional distance from his squad, Sportsmail understands his coaching staff have made a particular effort to make players feel at ease – which was not always the case under the previous regime.
That means high-fives, hugs and wisecracks are the order of the day from the coaches as players arrive for their work. Such an approach makes the reduced number of days off a little easier to swallow.
It is not all smiles, though – players were given ferocious rollickings after the home defeats by Leicester and Arsenal in February.
Sportsmail understands Emery’s coaching staff have made a particular effort to make players feel at ease
Ollie Watkins has thrived under Emery and joins Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane in having scored 10+ goals in the last three campaigns
Tactics and coaching
From day one, Emery has been in the thick of the action at Bodymoor, marching from pitch to pitch with clipboard in hand. He has drilled his players in a style that involves building from the back and now it is starting to bear fruit despite initial teething problems.
Don’t be surprised if World Cup-winning keeper Emi Martinez is sold this summer and replaced by someone more comfortable with his feet.
Senior players like John McGinn, Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings believe he has taken their game to another level with the laser focus of Emery’s coaching, while staff members have spoken positively about his warm manner at the training base.
The basic set-up is effective, too: 4-2-2-2 in possession, 4-4-2 without.
The appointment of Pako Ayestaran, who was part of Rafael Benitez’s coaching team when he won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, seemed a hugely smart move, given his successful combination with Emery at Valencia and his knowledge of the English game.
It would come as no surprise if World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez was sold this summer
The former Villarreal boss marches from pitch to pitch with his clipboard in hand at Bodymoor
Structure
It is not all about one man. The work of sporting director Johan Lange is not always been recognised but he helped build the foundations to allow an Emery-level manager to thrive.
Villa now have 10 players on loan in the EFL, gaining valuable experience should Emery need them, and growing in value should Villa decide to sell.
The way players’ needs are catered for off the pitch has also improved greatly, and there is a data-driven basis for scouting and recruitment at all levels.
Chief executive Christian Purslow is leading the redevelopment of Villa Park, the training ground improvement and the construction of an inner-city academy.
Give Emery total control of first-team affairs, as owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have done, and the future looks rosy.
Aston Villa’s on-loan Cameron Archer has six goals in 12 Championship games for Middlesbrough
Villa’s future will be in safe hands if owners Nassef Sawiris (R) and Wes Edens (L) give Emery full control of first-team affairs
Future
Asked what had changed since Emery replaced Gerrard, one former player with close links to Villa replied: ‘How long have you got?’
But this cannot be another false dawn. Emery will be given the funds to shape the squad as he wishes in the summer and if Villa are playing in Europe then, so much the better.
By making Emery the highest-paid manager in their history and giving him a long contract, Villa know this one simply has to work. So far, so good.
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