Aston Villa’s victory over Newcastle United (3-0) completed the list of 5 wins from the last five matches. Thanks to this victory, Villa then sat in 6th place in the Premier League standings. Villa’s success could not be separated from the cold hands of coach Unai Emery. The coach who replaced Steven Gerrard who was sacked by Villa in October last year immediately had a positive effect on Villa’s performance and at the same time provided competition in the top 6 of the Premier League.
Emery’s record with Villa so far has been quite impressive. From the 19 matches that Unai Emery has played as coach, Villa has won 13 wins, 2 draws and 4 defeats. If judging from the accumulated points since Emery was signed by Villa on November 1, it is noted that Villa is in 3rd place in the standings with 35 points. Only losing to Arsenal who won 42 points and Manchester City with 35 points.
Emery is not a new face for the Premier League. The Spaniard has previously coached Arsenal. However, his career at the club nicknamed “Red Cannon” ended insipid because he was fired after one season as coach. After a season of non-jobs, Villarreal then signed Emery for two seasons. Emery helped the club nicknamed the “Yellow Submarine” win the European League Cup trophy in 2021 after beating Manchester United in the final.
Of course, his success raised Emery’s reputation, which had dimmed. Evidently, Villa wanted to recruit Emery after sacking Gerrard from the coaching chair. Villa’s intentions were welcomed with open arms by Emery. Even though he succeeded in presenting a trophy for Villareal, Emery instead wanted to accept an offer from Villa who was currently mired. Emery considers that his decision to accept the position of Villa coach is a challenge in the world of sports.
Emery began to answer the challenge by having a positive effect on Villa’s game. In his first match as a coach, Villa immediately won 4-0 against MU. The victory was the start of Aston Villa’s smooth journey out of adversity and gave color to competition in the Premier League. So far, Villa’s 4 defeats have been recorded when playing against established clubs such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Victory over Newcastle at Villa Park stadium pleased the home crowd, boosted Emery’s reputation and strengthened support for the team. Newcastle, who came full force to Villa Park, was helpless with Villa’s aggressive game system.
Newcastle is not a weak team. Being in the top 4, Newcastle should be superior and can even beat Villa. However, on the contrary, it was Villa who made Newcastle’s game helpless. The shadow of Villa’s relegation that had occurred last year has faded away. Villa began to compete for a ticket to the Europa League next season.
Villa’s success cannot be separated from Emery’s experience. A wealth of experience as a coach has shaped Emery’s character as a coach who is keen in analyzing opponents’ games and at the same time building personal relationships with the players. Not a few players consider that Emery’s strengths are to make players feel valuable and to help players feel confident in their abilities.
His former team-mate at Villarael reckons that when Emery arrived as Villarreal coach he did an in-depth analysis of the team and tried to get the best out of each and every one of his players. Emery also applied that style at Villa. One of the proofs is Ollie Watkins. Watkins is Villa’s top scorer so far. Even the players who were once targeted by Arsenal have the number of goals like Harry Kane and Moh Salah. His performance has been on the rise since being coached by Emery.
Watkins stated that Emery guided the players on how to play, where to stand and how to get the best out of them. Meanwhile, Emiliano Martinez also did not fail to praise Emery. The goalkeeper for the Argentine national team stated that Villa was trying to get into the top 6 in order to play in the Europa League. That dream can become possible because Villa has the best coach.
The opportunity is getting wider because Villa is in 6th place in the Premier League standings. The place, indeed, is not yet safe because the points gap with the closest competing teams is not that far. For this reason, Villa’s presence in the top 6 provides additional competition in the Premier League. The victory against Newcastle can be a reference for Villa’s journey this season. The opportunity to play in the Europa League may not be a figment of imagination but a dream come true for Villa.
The influence of Emery, who had the experience in the European League, is one of the factors. This influence has been evident through Villa’s performance since signing Emery in November last year. Indeed, Villa in the hands of Emery has not yet entered the final level. There is a lot of work that needs to be fixed so that Villa really enters at a level of consistency so that one day they can get the tickets they want.
ASL
