‘From black and white football to full colour’ – Emery’s three years at Villa

Aston Villa defeated Manchester United on home soil for the first time since 1995 on November 6th, 2022, in a crowded Villa Park stadium filled with fans.

Less than a week after the work permit issues that had prevented his appointment had been resolved, Unai Emery’s debut was a dream come true.

There have been a few fleeting joys in the past, but never this, much less. After years of gloom, it appeared as though the club had finally found its footing in the open.

After the game, the dressing room was filled with handshakes, hugs, singing, dancing, and the impression that something had come of Aston Villa, the sleeping giant, had finally erupted from its slumber.

Emery and his team were more measured in the midst of the hysteria and the celebrations, and Unai’s objective analysis of the triumph was crystal clear.

And he expressed his dissatisfaction. Villa had prevailed, but the players had their terms. It had been a chaotic, uncontrolled, end-to-end affair. Unai’s intended style of play was different from this one.

In that instant, he realized that the fans’ demands for a 100-mph nonstop, frantic football were the utter opposite of the carefully planned, patient, deliberate, and dominating game he wanted to implement at the club.

It was never going to be simple. With the club 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation spots, Emery arrived at Villa.

Emery has encountered hardship before, though. His unremarkable playing career ended in 2004 due to a serious knee injury sustained at Lorca Deportiva. Although he had the potential to improve, he instead used “fear,” an herbicide that prevents athletes from growing.

Lorca immediately began his managerial career, and he was paid in part by earning promotion right away. In his next job at Almeria, he led the Andalusian club to the top of the league for the first time in their history, and he followed that same year, taking Valencia to the Champions League three times in a row while still in his late teens.

Sevilla won three Europa League titles in a row after Spartak Moscow’s disastrous six-month stoppage. Emery’s career was put back on track thanks to seven trophies and Emery’s PSG team’s establishing points and goalscoring records, which are still in use today.

At first glance, Arsenal and Emery appeared to be a marriage made in heaven, but it was only a matter of time before the Premier League arrived. It wasn’t, either.

After a seven-game winless run, he was fired in the fall of 2019.

Villarreal, where Unai, club owner Fernando Roig, and his son Fernando Jnr, who runs the club today, immediately sparked a relationship that would give them a chance to find redemption.

Following the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle, Emery was informed months later that the club wanted him to replace Steve Bruce, who had been recently fired.

Tell them to call me directly and not beat around the bush, he told an agent who had informed him of Newcastle’s interest.

After receiving the message, Amanda Staveley, a representative of the club’s owners, contacted him shortly afterward.

He was informed that they wanted him to become their new boss the following day.

Unai was undoubtedly interested in Newcastle’s offer, but there had never been a discussion about a deal or a contract, so it was understandable when he was questioned about it minutes after his Villarreal side had defeated Young Boys in a group-stage Champions League game.

When he learned that the English media had reported that the deal had been done and finished, with claims that he would be visiting England on Friday to train there as early as the following day, it became particularly outcryous.

Newcastle had overestimated their own importance as a club and had undervalued Unai’s commitment to Villarreal. The leak and its aftermath made his next move clearer if he had been unsure of what to do.

Unai would continue to reside in Villarreal, at least for the time being. There was still a point that needed to be established. Roig, the owner of Villarreal, called him and said, “I’m staying forever. Zero doubts.

Following that, the club advanced to the semi-finals, where it defeated the likes of Juventus and Bayern Munich before being ultimately defeated by Liverpool.

After his departure from Arsenal, both the public and the overwhelming impression that he still had unfinished business in the Premier League.

Unai learned one thing from his time in North London: that a top-flight manager needs to have a protective circle of devoted friends who are deeply aware of his needs and chart his own path.

Unai’s first contact was Damian Vidagany, one of his closest confidantes, when a meeting was held at Jorge Mendes’ Madrid home with one of the Villa owners, Nassef Sawiris.

Unai and Damian both emphasized at the meeting that time is frequently the key to success and failure.

Nasser did not offer a position. neither a project nor. He requested that Unai create one.

Unai was impressed. Aston Villa agreed to pay Villarreal his release clause of about £5.3 million when things got even worse. Unai’s departure was announced by Villarreal on October 24, 2022, and Villa confirmed him as their new manager.

He requested Damian to accompany him on this most recent adventure before proceeding with anything else.

Unai had the ability to put together a structure that would house those who were aware of his vision and who could assist him in carrying it out. Damian and his chosen people could elicit life into the atmosphere, according to Unai. Without that drive, the project would fail before it even had begun.

He first met his squad in the gym, flanked by the 10 assistants he had brought with him to the club. Even though he was a former player, he did not undervalue their significance. First impressions are not everything.

He declared, “I’m not happy, I’m not happy,” hoping that his English would stay the same. Steven Gerrard, a coworker of mine, has been fired, which saddens me.

Not just him, though, is responsible for what went wrong in this place. You have responsibility. Everyone in the club, including you. The coach is always to blame, but we can’t always.

“And a second thing. I didn’t waste my time by coming here. I’m here to win things.

Training frequently revealed habits that the squad’s approach had ingrained. When the best option wasn’t available, players would shoot crosses aimlessly without checking whether a forward was in the right position. Unai would frequently insist that a cross was a pass rather than a hopeful punt.

Some found it disorienting, while others found it terrifying to leave their comfort zone. The penny eventually dropped. Unai changed people’s perceptions of football by using his 24/7 approach, his willingness to roll up his sleeves, and his ability to carry on with his task.

Senior players embraced the change, including Lucas Digne, Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, and Emi Martinez. Their enthusiasm spread like a virus.