Unai Emery. A man already well on his way to becoming an Aston Villa icon. A man who, just two years to the day he began his tenure as manager, already holds hero status in B6.
The adulation Emery has received from the Villa faithful since his appointment on October 24, 2022 – before subsequently taking the reins at Villa Park on November 1 – is due in no small part to the transformation he has overseen.
Entering the hot seat with his side sat 16th in the Premier League, Emery’s intentions were clear from his first game in the dugout.
A 3-1 victory over Manchester United signified only our third Premier League triumph over the Red Devils at Villa Park, and first in 24 games – a run stretching back to 1999.
Villa were two goals to the good inside 11 minutes in that game, and in 2023, would go on to score a total of 77 Premier League goals, eight more than in any other calendar year in the club’s history.
Since then, the journey has been as unique as it has euphoric. A seventh-placed Premier League finish in 2022/23 secured a spot in the Europa Conference League, and European football for the first time since 2010/11.
And last season, records simply continued to be smashed. Villa made it to the semi-finals of the Conference League, losing out to Olympiacos over two legs. But it was domestically where Emery’s side excelled.
A fourth-place finish in the Premier League was Villa’s highest since the 1995/96 season, and secured UEFA Champions League football for 2024/25, the first time an Aston Villa side had qualified for Europe’s elite competition since 1982/83, the year after famously lifting the European Cup.
Fast forward just over five months, and Emery has masterminded a perfect start in the Champions League, with Villa having won each of their first three matches in the competition’s newly-introduced league stage, without conceding a single goal.
But it is for so much more that he is adored at the club. The humble, hard-working culture and winning habits he has instilled at Bodymoor Heath speak for themselves.
Just hours after returning from West London late on a Saturday evening last month, having put the latest three points on the Premier League board with a 3-1 victory at Fulham, Emery, his players and his staff were back on the training field on the Sunday morning, preparing for that Tuesday’s Champions League outing against Bologna.
The demands he sets his players and staff, helping to raise standards across the club, lead to the memorable occasions we bear witness to today.
Quizzed on the two-year anniversary of his appointment in the pre-match press conference ahead of Bologna, Emery simply referenced the potential of the club, and how he wants to continue achieving. It is clear to see, in his eyes, that the job is nowhere near done.
He explained: “The most important, is for us, how we are increasing our demands, and getting the opportunities we are more or less facing each year.
“Two years ago, we avoided the risk to lose the Premier League, and even we had time to get a position in the Conference League. Of course, it was an amazing first seven months we had here.
“Last year, continuing our process, we increased a lot our demands, getting Champions League, and the challenge is to get better every day. Can we keep the same level as now, and keep it for a long time?
“And this is the most difficult. When you are achieving your objectives at a high level, how you can be demanding and successful, working hard to keep it. This is the idea I have now. The club is in the same way, the players are with the same message I am giving you here.
“The only word I am repeating, when I arrived here, last year, and now, is that I don’t want to waste my time here, and that is the message for everybody here. You can’t waste your time here. You are professional, but you can’t get professionally your best objective individually and not collectively.
“My objective here, individually, is to try and keep the same level we have now, in the Champions League, and then add something more, like to be a contender for a trophy.”
“My objective here, individually, is to try and keep the same level we have now, in the Champions League, and then add something more, like to be a contender for a trophy.” – Unai Emery
The drive and ambition Emery openly conveys is shared by his players, who continue to be impressed, not just by his knowledge and expertise, but his hunger and mentality.
Since the manager’s appointment, Ollie Watkins has bagged no less than 37 Premier League goals. Only Dwight Yorke (44 under Brian Little) and Gabby Agbonlahor (45 under Martin O’Neill) have more under a single manager.
Speaking on Emery over the summer, Villa’s No.11 said: “I can’t speak highly enough of him. So motivated and driven to achieve something and do well. He wants to win a trophy. He’s so demanding. The detail he goes into and the dedication.”
And Watkins’ sentiments are shared by his team-mates, too, Matty Cash adding: “The manager’s a massive part of it.
“He’s believed in us, and given us a stepping stone to get there. He’s made sure that when we go into these games, we’re ready and we’ve got the right tactics. The experience he brings is incredible.
“This manager puts the demands on us to be consistent. He’s given us that platform to go and perform. He does everything off the pitch to make sure we’re ready, with the detail he goes into.”
Morgan Rogers is another player in inspired form under the four-time UEFA Europa League winner. Signed from Middlesbrough just nine months ago, the 22-year-old has become one of the first names on Emery’s teamsheet.
Speaking on his manager, he simply adds: “He breathes the game. He is a genius, [and] you can see that on the pitch.”
Under Unai, records have been smashed. Last year, he orchestrated a 15-match Premier League winning run at Villa Park, between March and December, the joint fourth-longest winning sequence in the history of the competition. His exploits earned him two Premier League Manager of the Month trophies in that time.
Last season, his first full season in charge, saw him lead Villa to score more goals (76), secure more wins (20), and earn more points (68) than in any other 38-game Premier League campaign in the club’s history. Among his rewards, a Premier League Manager of the Season nomination, and a new, five-year contract, tying him to B6 until 2029.
Domestically, his statistics for the club continue to amaze. Prior to his appointment, no Aston Villa manager had a win percentage of over 50%. Now, the highest win percentage of all of Villa’s managers in history, in all competitions, is 54.64%. Unai Emery.
Last month’s win at Fulham not only signified the club’s best start to a Premier League season after eight games since 1998/99, but was also Emery’s 40th Premier League win in charge. He became only the fourth man to reach this feat, and the fastest to do so, in 19 less games than the previous record holder, John Gregory, who he also surpassed when accruing 130 Premier League points for Villa in just 70 games.
He was the fastest Aston Villa manager to reach 30 victories (in 48 games), 40 victories (69 games) and 50 victories (90 games) in all competitions, and since his first game in charge, only Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have picked up more home points in the Premier League. Indeed, Emery’s Villans were the last team to record a league victory over Pep Guardiola’s outfit, in December last year, with the Cityzens currently on a staggering 32-game unbeaten streak.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him. So motivated and driven to achieve something and do well. He wants to win a trophy. He’s so demanding.” – Ollie Watkins
Emery is only another 22 Premier League wins away from potentially securing his next record. Only Little (51), Gregory and O’Neill (both 61) currently hold more victories in the Premier League for Villa than the Spaniard. The way things are going, this time next year, we could may well already be there.
Emery has us all looking forward to each and every game, and that, we’d say, is worth a toast.
Here’s to you, Unai Emery. And to the future.
