sport news Inside Unai Emery's flying start at Aston Villa trends now
Barely a few days into his tenure as Aston Villa head coach, Unai Emery had already set about giving his players examples of his ferocious attention to detail.
The Spaniard had taken over a team in desperate need of a clear structure and that had looked lost during the grim final weeks of Steven Gerrard’s regime. Under Emery, there has been an immediate improvement in results, with back-to-back league wins against Manchester United and Brighton, either side of a 4-2 defeat by United at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup.
This ‘new manager bounce’ is relatively typical. When Gerrard replaced Dean Smith a year ago, Villa won four of his opening six matches and everything in the garden appeared rosy. Just because Emery has claimed six points from two games, there is no guarantee that Villa will fly up the table in the second half of the campaign.
Unai Emery has already stamped his authority on the Aston Villa squad within just a few weeks
Emery was unveiled as manager earlier this month, and oversaw their 3-1 win over Man United
Whatever Villa’s form, though, every player will be clear on what is expected, and how hard they will need to work. Between November 2, Emery’s first day in the job, and November 13, when Villa won 2-1 at Brighton before the World Cup break, the squad did not have a full day off.
One of Emery’s first moves was to summon players one by one to his office at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground and once there, the player was given a detailed briefing – via clips on an iPad – of how he was required to perform. The message was clear: Here is what I what I need you do, and if you do it, I can help you. Don’t worry too much about anything else.
One of Emery’s favourite tools is video analysis and when they return to training after a short break, Villa’s players can anticipate plenty more time in front of the screen. The level of information and detail has raised eyebrows among the squad, who have nevertheless been impressed by just how much Emery knew about their individual strengths and weaknesses during their first meetings.
Emery is known to be hands on and has ensured each of his players understands their task under him
The appointment of Pako Ayestaran, who was part of Rafael Benitez’s coaching team when he won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, looks a hugely smart move, given his successful combination with Emery at Valencia and his knowledge of the English game.
From day one, Emery has been in the
