Unai Emery

[olaftab]

What's so lovely is just winning game after game at home. In our most recent successful spell under O'Neill we hardly ever won two home games on the trot. That is a fun fact for me. Added fun fact is no away fans goal celebrations.

[eamonn]

It also had Hannah from the utv podcast on who is always well worth listening to.

Hannah Barbara?

[tomd2103]

Gerrard came in and tried to implement a system that didn't use wingers. One irony for me is that Emery has done what Gerrard tried and failed to do.

I'm not really familiar with what UE's preferred formation was at his previous clubs. Is the way we are set up now his preferred choice? Or can we expect the acquisition of wide players in the Summer?

His decision to sell Ings seemed odd at the time, but has been totally vindicated.

There was a Spanish journalist on the BBC Football Show this week who suggested Emery doesn't actually have an absolute preference for set up, rather that it is one of his best attributes that he is so good at setting up teams according to his players' strengths, so I guess we will have to wait and see.

Thanks, sounds interesting. The fact he persisted with Bailey in Kamara's absence, and bringing Bertie back from loan, seems to suggest he likes using width. I can see us spending big in the Summer.

I definitely thought he changed the tactics yesterday. Very little messing about passing it around at the back, knowing Newcastle would press high.

Could be coincidence, but he seems to be that he prefers to set us up with a wide player on the right in away games and the narrow midfield four at home. 

[bob]

It also had Hannah from the utv podcast on who is always well worth listening to.

Hannah Barbara?

Check out the video she is close to perfect!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0fdqdcz/the-football-news-show-unai-emerys-villa-revival

[VILLA MOLE]

It also had Hannah from the utv podcast on who is always well worth listening to.

Hannah Barbara?

Check out the video she is close to perfect!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0fdqdcz/the-football-news-show-unai-emerys-villa-revival

She is lovely and speaks well ,  Michael Brown can get stuffed , sticking up for his mate Gerrard

[Monty]

It also had Hannah from the utv podcast on who is always well worth listening to.

Hannah Barbara?

Check out the video she is close to perfect!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0fdqdcz/the-football-news-show-unai-emerys-villa-revival

Michael Brown is a pure Gerrard bootlicker, big club fetishist and old boys networker.

[danno]

It also had Hannah from the utv podcast on who is always well worth listening to.

Hannah Barbara?

Check out the video she is close to perfect!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0fdqdcz/the-football-news-show-unai-emerys-villa-revival

Michael Brown is a pure Gerrard bootlicker, big club fetishist and old boys networker.

He likes us?

[Monty]

Nice.

[bob]

It also had Hannah from the utv podcast on who is always well worth listening to.

Hannah Barbara?

Check out the video she is close to perfect!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0fdqdcz/the-football-news-show-unai-emerys-villa-revival

Michael Brown is a pure Gerrard bootlicker, big club fetishist and old boys networker.

Horrible player n all

[AV82EC]

It also had Hannah from the utv podcast on who is always well worth listening to.

Hannah Barbara?

Check out the video she is close to perfect!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0fdqdcz/the-football-news-show-unai-emerys-villa-revival

Michael Brown is a pure Gerrard bootlicker, big club fetishist and old boys networker.

Horrible player n all

God I used to hate him as a player one of those really annoying wankers who always used to get away with niggly fouls etc etc. however in the League Cup Qtr final playing against Milner and Co for Pompey he got absolutely done time and again, I think he tried to leave one on Milner at one point, he didn’t get near him.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Watkins post match made an interesting point on how Emery has us operating, "trusting teammates in tight areas". For so long we've had players that not only wouldn't trust a teammate in a tight area, they didn't trust themselves if there was an opposition player in front of them. It was forever safety first, zero risk, pass it back, now it's power, strength and skill with so many driving forward with the ball. Passes are now made in those tight areas and players are expected to deal with it. Of course mistakes will happen but in the majority of cases teams are struggling to deal with our driving ambition on the pitch.

Bielsa managed to also quickly get Leeds playing that way but it wasn't sustainable due to the small squad he insisted on, a couple of key injuries and they struggled. Emery has a very important summer ahead of him with recruitment but the standard requirements from players has been set, whether new signings or bringing back some of the kids, the foundations have been set and they're bloody solid.

Next season, whether in Europe or not, rotation will be key. Players will need to seamlessly step in and do the job they're told to do. If Dendoncker's performance yesterday is anything to go by, we're in great hands.

[Neil Hawkes]

Look at the league table now.

We are 9 points behind 3rd place.

We are 11 points ahead of 11th place, the position we appeared to be stuck in for so long.

We are 23 points ahead of 17th, incredible improvement.

[Hillbilly]

Bielsa managed to also quickly get Leeds playing that way but it wasn't sustainable due to the small squad he insisted on, a couple of key injuries and they struggled. Emery has a very important summer ahead of him with recruitment but the standard requirements from players has been set, whether new signings or bringing back some of the kids, the foundations have been set and they're bloody solid.

I dunno. Bielsa had them frantically tearing around at breakneck speed all the time. They were exhausting to watch. We seem a bit more measured, at least until there's an opportunity to go for the jugular. Although to be fair Newcastle were pretty much exposing their neck all match.

[Monty]

Agreed, everyone knows the Bielsa thing is brilliant until it just collapses in its own froth and steam. There's nothing as obviously insane as that in Emery's football - the current level might be unsustainable just because it's so high, but that's riding the crest of a wave more than anything.

Our style is high intensity, yes, but you have to be to compete these days. What strikes me is how smart it is, reserved, economical even, compared to that Bielsa team or maybe something from Klopp's early Liverpool. We don't just go balls-to-the-wall - we choose our moments.

[Risso]

Agreed, everyone knows the Bielsa thing is brilliant until it just collapses in its own froth and steam. There's nothing as obviously insane as that in Emery's football - the current level might be unsustainable just because it's so high, but that's riding the crest of a wave more than anything.

Our style is high intensity, yes, but you have to be to compete these days. What strikes me is how smart it is, reserved, economical even, compared to that Bielsa team or maybe something from Klopp's early Liverpool. We don't just go balls-to-the-wall - we choose our moments.

Also, if you're letting the ball doing the work, you're not going to be as tired as you are if you're chasing hopeful punts out of defence all game.