Unai Emery marks four years at Aston Villa this week, as the club prepares to face Barcelona in the Champions League at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night. Villa arrive at the fixture as Europa League winners, having ended a 30-year trophy drought with victory in May.
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, which has prompted natural speculation about his next step, whether with Villa or elsewhere.
Club ready to join the elite
Villa reacted strongly when Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher suggested Emery would want to manage an elite club, with Manchester United among those admiring him. The club were angered enough to threaten legal action.
Villa see themselves as a club ready to join the elite, having challenged the top sides in the Premier League and Europe over the past two years, with Emery leading the way. Carragher’s assertion that the Spaniard would be open to leaving was naive, given how much control Emery holds over matters at the club and the success he has enjoyed there, even if it was not the most sensational of opinions.
Emery signed his most recent contract in May 2024, which runs to 2029, so Villa are protected. A new deal is still expected to follow the Europa League triumph.
He has moved Villa up the pecking order, but 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, including Emi Martinez, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne. Ollie Watkins also left for Saudi Arabia. Those changes have given Emery’s side fresh vigour.
Barcelona as the benchmark
The Nou Camp gives Emery the chance to test his team and show the progress made at Villa. Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has won successive La Liga titles with the club, and Emery celebrates his 55th birthday on Tuesday by facing them in his home country.
“We are constantly seeking new challenges and we want to respond in games against Barcelona to see how far we are from them,” Emery said.
He pointed to his club’s own history in the competition. “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 acknowledged Barcelona’s status as favourites. “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 also stressed the importance 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.”
“Barcelona have six points, we have nine,” he added. “We need to find out our personality and make the most of our qualities.”
Demanding methods and meticulous planning
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 may take months to adapt to his demands. Internally, there is an acceptance that this is 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 confidante needing a break. That meticulousness, however, is also 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 as areas Villa could exploit, given Emery’s capacity to plan and pounce on an opponent’s weaknesses.
Respect from across Europe
Emery has earned admirers, including Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, for 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.”
Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon also called Emery “one of the best in the world” before the game. That praise contrasts with Emery’s record at the Nou Camp, where he has lost 14 of his 15 games. He has beaten Barcelona only three times in 30 attempts there. His last Champions League game at the stadium came with Paris St-Germain, who collapsed to a 6-1 defeat in the last 16 after winning the first leg 4-0.
Emery is eager to change that record. “Everything happened in that match, we know,” he said, noting that 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.”