Aston Villa appoint Unai Emery as manager

When I said the summer Villa had one of the best midfields in the league, some people scoffed at the notion but look at them now. Serious outfit.

Tielemans now established in the midfield and he's starting to purr like in his pomp at Leicester, fantastic use of the ball tonight.

We have so many options now across the park. Lenglet played regularly for Spurs last season but don't think he's featured at all in the prem. Moreno and Ramsey, who were fantastic down the left in run-in last season, only played together for first time on Sunday so that's a huge positive both are back for the xmas schedule.

Bailey probably had the best game of his career tonight, he was that good from first minute but again we'll rotate him and Diaby for specific opponents.

Only issue is if Ollie ever gets a lengthy injury but have to think a few out of favour CFs at CL clubs will fancy joining us in January.

This is different to MON era when we had a decent enough first 11 but hardly any quality in reserve so fell away from March onwards. We have real quality on the bench to tweak the regular line up and change things.
 
I don't mind Villa, proper club with a rich history that have had some downtimes of late. If they can somehow manage to sustain a title challenge, I'd be willing them on.
Likeable club, partly because of our brilliant record against them, but likeable for the reasons you detailed nonetheless
 
Since we aren’t winning it, I’m all for super John McGinn lifting the title.
 
Tielemans now established in the midfield and he's starting to purr like in his pomp at Leicester, fantastic use of the ball tonight.

We have so many options now across the park. Lenglet played regularly for Spurs last season but don't think he's featured at all in the prem. Moreno and Ramsey, who were fantastic down the left in run-in last season, only played together for first time on Sunday so that's a huge positive both are back for the xmas schedule.

Bailey probably had the best game of his career tonight, he was that good from first minute but again we'll rotate him and Diaby for specific opponents.

Only issue is if Ollie ever gets a lengthy injury but have to think a few out of favour CFs at CL clubs will fancy joining us in January.

This is different to MON era when we had a decent enough first 11 but hardly any quality in reserve so fell away from March onwards. We have real quality on the bench to tweak the regular line up and change things.

A few of Villa’s players could easily be playing for ‘bigger’ teams, Pau Torres wouldn’t be out of place at Barcelona for example. Kamara, Diaby and others. Some great coups in the market.
 
We're obviously not gonna win it, but a proper club like Villa I wouldn't mind at all.
 
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Incredible stats to see. What work he’s doing there. Apparently he’s a total football obsessive. Definitely learned a lot of lessons from his time at Arsenal.
 
Likeable club, partly because of our brilliant record against them, but likeable for the reasons you detailed nonetheless
Yep. Don't have a deluded fanbase either unlike the Geordies.

It does certainly help having good record there, I dislike Brighton merely on having a shite record against them.

Also agree regarding there fans, seem a sensible bunch. The Geordies were the worst lot to have won the football lottery.
 
Villa are a big club with a rich history, its good to see them doing well again tbh and they have a very underrated manager in Unai Emery.
 
Play City without Rodri and score a deflected goal. Emery is just copying Arteta...
 
“Defensive manager” kept city to a 0.0 xg with his team having about 20 shots on goal. Never seen a team do that to city before:

How so 0.0 xg?, I am pretty sure I saw two consecutive chances for Haaland in the highlights.
 
Us vs Villa should be pretty entertaining for neutrals.
 
How so 0.0 xg?, I am pretty sure I saw two consecutive chances for Haaland in the highlights.

The stat I saw was 0.0xG after the 11th minute, so I think maybe the person who said that got the stat slightly wrong. Yes Martinez made two great saves then, but after that I don’t think they had a shot, very impressive.
 
They've built a brilliant squad. I'm actually more impressed by their recruitment than with Emery. He's still doing a great job though.
 
He's a good manager. But there's quite a few of them around at his sort of level. The trick is actually getting one of them at the right place, with the right squad at just the right time and then moving them on when the squad evolves or needs someone different.

He's doing great at the moment, but in a years time they'll have more new players, some key players for his football might have some attrition in form and that squad might just need a different coach to get the best out of them. It's a dynamic puzzle, and that's what great DOFs do. They constantly couple the right head coach for the group of players they have there and then, so you're squeezing as much juice as you can out of your squad.
 
Absolute top class manager. Deserves a crack at another big club at some point. No reason to leave Villa now though. He’s building something really good there.
 
How so 0.0 xg?, I am pretty sure I saw two consecutive chances for Haaland in the highlights.

The only 2 in the game but they were biggies. City had an xg of .86 though.
 
Tielemans now established in the midfield and he's starting to purr like in his pomp at Leicester, fantastic use of the ball tonight.

We have so many options now across the park. Lenglet played regularly for Spurs last season but don't think he's featured at all in the prem. Moreno and Ramsey, who were fantastic down the left in run-in last season, only played together for first time on Sunday so that's a huge positive both are back for the xmas schedule.

Bailey probably had the best game of his career tonight, he was that good from first minute but again we'll rotate him and Diaby for specific opponents.

Only issue is if Ollie ever gets a lengthy injury but have to think a few out of favour CFs at CL clubs will fancy joining us in January.

This is different to MON era when we had a decent enough first 11 but hardly any quality in reserve so fell away from March onwards. We have real quality on the bench to tweak the regular line up and change things.
You're one of the best posters here so quite happy for you. As long as we win on Saturday it'll be v tough for us, can't afford any GK howlers.
 
They've quietly built one of the best squads in the league. Maybe 4th best.
 
If we're not getting into the title fight, it'd be fun to see Arsenal being ahead into the 37th matchday, losing at Old Trafford, only to have Aston Villa go past them and clinch the title with Unai Emery. My arsenal mates have been obnoxious this season, and I would like to see them suffer.
 
Ferguson knowing his football who would imagine or ever question him?

It’s like when he said Kanté was the best player in England halfway through at Leicester and said he would have been his number 1 target if he was United manager. Knows quality when he sees it.
 
How so 0.0 xg?, I am pretty sure I saw two consecutive chances for Haaland in the highlights.

Think the second chance would've been called off for offside if it went in. The first was from a difficult angle although of course Haaland has scored many goals from those sorts of positions but xG metrics don't change for player quality.

Those were the only chance creations they did the whole match, didn't have one single corner either. :lol: :wenger:
 
81 points in 40 PL games in charge. Seriously impressive. No longer just a "good run".

He's made teams like Chelsea, Spurs and Brighton his bitch, but has struggled against the top teams. But if yesterday marks a new trend then he could seriously win the whole thing.
 
It’s like when he said Kanté was the best player in England halfway through at Leicester and said he would have been his number 1 target if he was United manager. Knows quality when he sees it.
Or when he said Modric had been the best player in the league before he went off to Madrid.
 
Wow, I had no idea that Sir Alex did some punditry at the beginning of the season. Here's the full video:


Look at the amount of insight and prescience provided in just that short clip. Once again showing why people should stop rolling his name off their tongue like this kind of mind comes along but once a lifetime.
 
He’s an incredible coach. Taken Villa from relegation candidates to beating the big boys. I think he’s very likeable too.
 
Look at the amount of insight and prescience provided in just that short clip. Once again showing why people should stop rolling his name off their tongue like this kind of mind comes along but once a lifetime.
Yeah and maybe Ratcliffe is right to consult with him when he takes over the football side. People need to stop pretending like he's lost all his knowledge about football. I remember reading an interview with Nicky Butt a couple of years ago where he said SAF keeps up to date with all the highly rated up and coming managers and still watches a shit load of football.

Here's another thing SAF called right back in 2021.

"On young managers, Eddie Howe had a great period at Bournemouth, for a young manager," the former Aberdeen boss told SPORTbible in an exclusive interview.

"I think he did very well. Even though he's relegated it doesn't mean to say he's not a good manager, I think he is a good manager.
 
He’s an incredible coach. Taken Villa from relegation candidates to beating the big boys. I think he’s very likeable too.
He's certainly one of the good guys in the managerial world, by all accounts a real gentleman. Villa have a really good coach. I think he has a bit of a ceiling but this Villa team look seriously good, would be interesting to see just how high he could take them.
 
Tielemans now established in the midfield and he's starting to purr like in his pomp at Leicester, fantastic use of the ball tonight.

We have so many options now across the park. Lenglet played regularly for Spurs last season but don't think he's featured at all in the prem. Moreno and Ramsey, who were fantastic down the left in run-in last season, only played together for first time on Sunday so that's a huge positive both are back for the xmas schedule.

Bailey probably had the best game of his career tonight, he was that good from first minute but again we'll rotate him and Diaby for specific opponents.

Only issue is if Ollie ever gets a lengthy injury but have to think a few out of favour CFs at CL clubs will fancy joining us in January.

This is different to MON era when we had a decent enough first 11 but hardly any quality in reserve so fell away from March onwards. We have real quality on the bench to tweak the regular line up and change things.
Remember when people here were turning up their nose on Tielemans coming here?
 
Tielemans now established in the midfield and he's starting to purr like in his pomp at Leicester, fantastic use of the ball tonight.

We have so many options now across the park. Lenglet played regularly for Spurs last season but don't think he's featured at all in the prem. Moreno and Ramsey, who were fantastic down the left in run-in last season, only played together for first time on Sunday so that's a huge positive both are back for the xmas schedule.

Bailey probably had the best game of his career tonight, he was that good from first minute but again we'll rotate him and Diaby for specific opponents.

Only issue is if Ollie ever gets a lengthy injury but have to think a few out of favour CFs at CL clubs will fancy joining us in January.

This is different to MON era when we had a decent enough first 11 but hardly any quality in reserve so fell away from March onwards. We have real quality on the bench to tweak the regular line up and change things.
Now that you're here, why did coutinho go out on loan? was he really such a bad fit?
 
81 points in 40 PL games in charge. Seriously impressive. No longer just a "good run".

He's made teams like Chelsea, Spurs and Brighton his bitch, but has struggled against the top teams. But if yesterday marks a new trend then he could seriously win the whole thing.
If he maintains that, that's villa as a regular top four team.