Unai Emery marks four years at Aston Villa this week, with the club preparing to face Barcelona in the Champions League at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night. Villa arrive having won the Europa League in May, ending a 30-year trophy drought.
Emery walked into Villa Park four years ago with two clear aims. “My dream is to win a trophy with Aston Villa. It’s my challenge,” he said at his unveiling in November 2022.
He also spoke of a second goal. “My second dream and my objective could be to play with Aston Villa in Europe. But now, we have to start thinking only the next match because we are not in good position in the table now.”
Emery has now achieved both. That success has sparked natural speculation about his next step, whether at Villa or elsewhere.
Club ready to join the elite
Villa reacted strongly when Jamie Carragher, a Sky Sports pundit, suggested Emery would want to manage an elite club, with Manchester United among the admirers. The club were angered enough to threaten legal action.
Villa see themselves as a club ready to join the elite. They have challenged the established big names in the Premier League and Europe over the past two years, with Emery leading that push.
Carragher’s assertion that the Spaniard would be open to leaving was naive, given how much control Emery holds at the club and the success he has enjoyed there. The opinion was not the most sensational, but it drew a strong response all the same.
Emery signed his most recent contract in May 2024, which runs until 2029, so Villa are protected. A new deal is still expected to follow the Europa League triumph.
Still climbing the pecking order
Emery has taken Villa up the pecking order, although they are not yet at the top. They remain well placed, as the signing of Johan Manzambi from Freiburg showed.
Villa still lost players to traditionally bigger clubs over the summer. Emi Martinez, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne all departed, while Ollie Watkins left for Saudi Arabia. The changes have nonetheless given Emery new vigour.
Emery turns 55 on Tuesday, and he will face Barca in his home country. Nights at the Nou Camp give him the chance to prove his worth and the progress Villa have made under his leadership.
“We are constantly seeking new challenges and we want to respond in games against Barcelona to see how far we are from them,” he said.
He reflected on the club’s European history too. “We won it [the European Cup] in 1982 and right now we are enjoying reminiscing with our fans, playing in this competition again, and trying to repeat that success.”
Emery also addressed Barca’s status. “Barca are favourites because of the present and what they have done over the last 10 years, but they need to confirm their favourite role.”
He outlined the challenge of the league phase. “The way this league stage goes, to end up finishing it in the first eight we need to avoid any kind of surprise. There will be times during the season when you walk your own path, but it needs to be clear the second part of the season is when things will be decided.”
He summed up the current picture. “Barcelona have six points, we have nine. We need to find out our personality and make the most of our qualities.”
Intense methods bring results
Emery was handed carte blanche to change Villa when he replaced Steven Gerrard. He has transformed the club from Premier League strugglers into Europa League winners and Champions League challengers.
His methods are intense. Players can sit through several long meetings during the week, and some take months to adapt to his demands.
Internally, there is an acceptance that this is part of why Aaron Wan-Bissaka has struggled so far this season, having not received the same level of coaching at West Ham.
The exhaustive nature of his approach also played a part in the departure of former president of football operations Monchi last year, with Emery’s close confidant needing a break. Even so, that meticulousness is what makes Emery and his teams so effective.
Barcelona sources reportedly fear Villa and Emery. They point to the struggles of Alejandro Balde and the lack of defensive instinct from Joao Cancelo, and they worry Villa could exploit both, given Emery’s capacity to plan and pounce on an opponent’s weakness.
Respect from Flick and Gordon
Emery has earned admirers, including Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, following his achievements at Villa. He has already won the Europa League three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.
“He is one of the best coaches in Europe and the world. He is very successful,” Flick said. “In the way his team plays, you can see a clear structure, and in offence they have different patterns. For me, it is amazing to see his team.
“The start was not easy, but they came back. You can see the confidence they have on the ball, how they play out, and Jackson is at an unbelievable level. For us, it will be a tough game against a good team and, as well, a great coach.”
Barca winger Anthony Gordon also called Emery “one of the best in the world” before the game. That praise comes despite Emery’s record at the Nou Camp being poor.
He has lost 14 of his 15 games there, and he has beaten Barcelona only three times in 30 attempts. His last Champions League game at the stadium ended in a 6-1 defeat in the last 16 for Paris St-Germain, who had won the first leg 4-0.
Emery is eager to change that record and further cement his status and reputation. “Everything happened in that match, we know,” he said. No English team has won at the Nou Camp since Liverpool in 2007.
“I started in 2004, playing in Europe 16 years in a row, different competitions, I have learned in all the competitions. In that match I learned so much. The necessity of VAR for football in that moment.
“In my experiences they [his games at the Nou Camp] were giving me a lot of info to learn and get better.
“With the players we are speaking about our experiences together, we have our experience in Europe, in the Champions League two years ago.
“We are facing one of the favourite teams to win the competition, it is a huge challenge. We are confident how we are building the team, how we are facing teams like Barcelona.
“We are here progressing, understanding, setting our demands and competing the level we are, this is the challenge we have.”