Unai Emery

[LeeB]

Yes of course Emery, but christ alive Torres and Diaby are significant upgrades on their predecessors and in terms of being physically capable of playing, Zaniolo is on Coutinho.

[Toronto Villa]

https://x.com/lmechegaray/status/1716361755297747219?s=46

[Ian.]

Last August in the same fixture we lost 0-1 to West Ham and they got booed of. These are the 2 teams

0-1                      4-1
Martínez        Martinez
Cash               Cash
Konsa             Konsa
Chambers      Torres
Digne               Digne
Luiz                  Luiz
Kamara           Kamara
McGinn           McGinn
Coutinho         Zaniolo
Watkins           Watkins
Ings                  Diaby

Substitutes
Olsen                Olsen
Young               Dendoncker
Augustinsson  Carlos
Nakamba         Chambers
Archer              Tielemans
Ramsey            Lenglet
Bailey                Bailey
Buendia            Traore
Iroegbunam     Kellyman

The difference?

Emery

It’s quite literally magic. Emery is the man.

[Somniloquism]

And you can see the difference in his mannerisms in an interview forced to be made in English, and one in his native language.

[Somniloquism]

I don't think he is the same level, and they have fluked a few points they probably shouldn't have gotten, but the Spurs fans are currently drooling over Ange because he has apparently a same appeal to the fans first.

He has also got them winning well at home. The match at the end of November will be tasty.

[VILLA MOLE]

Iroegbunam , is he back from injury ?

[Brazilian Villain]

I loved the expression on Emery's face as he strode down the touchline after the game yesterday, it was one of a huge smile but without him obviously moving his lips.

The two old lads in the Lower Trinity doing "We're not worthy' bows as Unai strode down to the tunnel after the Brighton game, made me smile.

[pablo_picasso]

I loved his questioning of Douglas Luiz as he slacked off for a couple of minutes.

The demanding of excellence us why he is a world class coach...

[Smirker]

Hopefully when he does leave, we will be in such a good position that we will be looking at managers at the top of the game and not the likes of Dyche, Allardyce and whichever big name player is trying their hand at management.

I'd start the search now. Not that I'd replace Emery now. But I'd start the search. Though I'd imagine clubs probably always have a shortlist in place at any time.

[Toronto Villa]

Hopefully we go on to win loads and he leaves the club as a true legend like a Wenger or Ferguson. But as we have all seen replacing legends is almost impossible, and takes a long time to recover from at most clubs. There’s a long way to go before we need to worry about that.

[placeforparks]

there's a good piece in the telegraph on emery's first year - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/10/23/aston-villa-unai-emery-year-charge-champions-league-watkins/

cut and pasted, due to paywall

Unai Emery's year at Aston Villa: Meticulous planning, a ruthless streak and poaching doctors
Under Emery, Villa have made their best start to a season for 25 years and left fans dreaming of a Champions League adventure
ByJohn Percy 23 October 2023 • 12:30pm

Unai Emery has told Aston Villa’s players and supporters to continue dreaming, and this is proving an exhilarating journey where nobody wants to get off.

Emery completes a year in charge on Tuesday and while the transformation has been remarkable, his vision will not be accomplished until the Champions League anthem echoes around Villa Park.

At some stage this season the brilliant Basque will complete 1,000 games as a head coach, and the possibilities are endless for the former European Cup winners.

Only Pep Guardiola has secured more points in 2023 than Emery, whose team have made their best start to a season for 25 years.

Eleven straight home wins in the Premier League are propelling the team on a tidal wave of momentum, with the club now only two points off the top of the table. In their controversial Castore shirts, Villa are making wins look no sweat.

So what is the end goal? While Emery has won the Europa League four times, he is clearly focusing on finishing in the domestic top-five this season to guarantee a Champions League place. With Chelsea and Manchester United struggling during periods of transition, Emery has spotted an opportunity which he wants his players to grab.

Emery driving club towards an exciting future

It is a mission which just over 12 months ago appeared desperately forlorn: Villa had been thrashed at Fulham, with furious owner Nassef Sawiris leaving the game early to initiate the dismissal of Steven Gerrard. With Villa dangerously close to the relegation zone, Gerrard endured the embarrassment of being sacked and then having to board the team bus home.

Look at the club now, and consider the impact of Emery: a meticulous, deep-thinking strategist whose reputation in this country deserves to be up there with contemporaries such as Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.

There was a wonderful moment on Sunday when Emery thanked one of his predecessors, Dean Smith, for laying down the foundations for Villa’s progress. The work of former sporting director Johan Lange [now at Tottenham] and chief executive Christian Purslow cannot be forgotten either, for Villa were languishing in the Championship only four years ago before building a new squad from scratch following promotion.

Many of those players signed during that time, such as Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz, Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara, continue to be key stars now.

Yet there is no point in diminishing Emery’s role in this stirring turnaround. He is unquestionably the man driving the club towards an exciting future.

It soon became clear last year that Emery was embarking on a ride where only those matching his standards and demands would accompany him. That stance was confirmed recently by John McGinn, the Scotland international, who said: “It’s up to us as players. You either get on board with it, get on the train and improve to a level where he wants to get to, otherwise you’ll be shifted out and we’ve seen that already.

“He dreams the same way we dream. He is patient when it comes to his ideas and tactics, but he is the same as us: he wants to win and he wants to win now.”

With that previous record of winning trophies, Emery delivered instant authority last November with an approach grounded in unusual levels of dedication and attention to detail.

Emery is a head coach who thought nothing of analysing Legia Warsaw’s last 27 home matches before their meeting in a Europa Conference League group game last month.

Insiders regard last year’s World Cup break as a crucial moment, with Emery’s methods taking hold in what was essentially a pre-season.

Lengthy meetings and match debriefs are the norm. Emery takes his players through detailed analysis, pausing the videos and pointing out where
improvements could be made. He is big on communication, despite some theories that it was a key reason behind his downfall at Arsenal in November 2019.

Emery demands all players try and converse in English, regardless of nationality. He also speaks French, and can engage with the club’s South American contingent in Spanish.
There is little doubt he has complete control of the club from top to bottom, entrusted to him by co-owners Sawiris and Wes Edens.

Monchi was the eye-catching appointment this summer, after joining from Sevilla as the club’s President of Football Operations.

Hand-picked scouts are scattered all across Europe searching for future signings, while Emery has even transformed the medical department. The latest key appointment is Arnaldo Abrantes as Head of Medicine, appointed from Nottingham Forest and replacing long-serving doctor Ricky Shamji.

European campaign being used as trial for fringe players
Emery’s regeneration of the squad is also a work in progress. Injuries to captain Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia and Jacob Ramsey have highlighted why there remains issues over strength in depth: indeed, there have been occasions this season when Villa have named two goalkeepers on the bench.

In their European games so far, those issues have often become apparent. It is almost like Emery is treating the competition as a trial for some of his fringe players to prove they deserve to be part of the club’s future.

The January transfer window will provide a further clue on how Emery views the direction of his team, though the spectre of Financial Fair Play continues to hover above all clubs in the Premier League.

Villa’s European campaign continues on Thursday evening with a potentially tricky assignment away at AZ Alkmaar. They remain favourites to win the competition if they progress past the group stages, though balancing the demands of Europe and the Premier League may damage Emery’s long-term ambition.

Villa then return to their home with Sunday’s match against Luton Town, with a 12th successive league victory in their sights.

Emery will demand his team remain on the upward curve, and he does not believe anything has been achieved yet.

Yet something special is stirring at this famous old club, and in Emery they have a leader who is perfectly ‘Prepared’.

[placeforparks]

Last August in the same fixture we lost 0-1 to West Ham and they got booed of. These are the 2 teams

0-1                      4-1
Martínez        Martinez
Cash               Cash
Konsa             Konsa
Chambers      Torres
Digne               Digne
Luiz                  Luiz
Kamara           Kamara
McGinn           McGinn
Coutinho         Zaniolo
Watkins           Watkins
Ings                  Diaby

Substitutes
Olsen                Olsen
Young               Dendoncker
Augustinsson  Carlos
Nakamba         Chambers
Archer              Tielemans
Ramsey            Lenglet
Bailey                Bailey
Buendia            Traore
Iroegbunam     Kellyman

The difference?

Emery

west ham's goal was a lucky deflection in both games as well!

[chrisw1]

Thanks PforP.  A good read.

[Dave P]

Last August in the same fixture we lost 0-1 to West Ham and they got booed of. These are the 2 teams

0-1                      4-1
Martínez        Martinez
Cash               Cash
Konsa             Konsa
Chambers      Torres
Digne               Digne
Luiz                  Luiz
Kamara           Kamara
McGinn           McGinn
Coutinho         Zaniolo
Watkins           Watkins
Ings                  Diaby

Substitutes
Olsen                Olsen
Young               Dendoncker
Augustinsson  Carlos
Nakamba         Chambers
Archer              Tielemans
Ramsey            Lenglet
Bailey                Bailey
Buendia            Traore
Iroegbunam     Kellyman

The difference?

Emery

west ham's goal was a lucky deflection in both games as well!

Last season West Ham came for a draw and got a win.  This season they came for a draw and got dry humped.

[PeterWithesShin]

Last season they'd started the season with 3 defeats and 0 goals in their first 3 league games, and then played us. It was April when they won their second away PL game.