How Unai Emery has transformed Aston Villa into European contenders

T here is an image on Unai Emery’s Instagram of the Aston Villa manager immersed in his work after victory at Stamford Bridge this month that speaks to his dedication to his job. Emery is staring into his laptop, right hand clasped to a wireless mouse. It is a snapshot that chimes with the workaholic and obsessive coach known to regularly rack up 16-hour days. Emery often cuts his own clips of games to review with players individually and sometimes watches back Villa’s matches up to five times to prepare feedback for his staff and squad.

It is easy to forget Villa were outside the Premier League relegation zone only on goals scored when Emery’s predecessor, Steven Gerrard, was sacked at the end of October. Villa have won 12 of 18 league matches under Emery and would be third if the season had started the day the Spaniard outfoxed Erik ten Hag in his first game. There was much promise against Manchester United but nobody predicted the remarkable turnaround that has put Villa firmly in the hunt for the top six and led Emery to dilute discourse about qualifying for the Champions League. A top-10 finish for the first time since 2010-11, the last season they played in Europe, looks likely.

Emery’s rapid progress at Villa is a triumph of coaching. He is maximising the ability of the squad at his disposal. Except for Álex Moreno, a £12m January signing from Real Betis, he is in effect working with the same tools as Gerrard. John McGinn and Tyrone Mings, both of whom helped Villa to promotion four years ago, are key pillars. Emi Buendía, who struggled for game time under Gerrard, has also been liberated. Emery pinpointed Moreno as an ideal ball carrier at left-back who could help Villa transition at speed. Moreno, who starred