Harvey Downes: Unai Emery’s Villa are a sight to behold

ASTON Villa’s 2-1 win at Tottenham last Sunday saw them climb to fourth in the table, their highest league position at this stage of a Premier League campaign since 2009-10. Their record this calendar year has been of a title-challenging level, with Unai Emery’s expansive style of play yielding performances and results leaving Villa fans dreaming.

Rewind almost exactly four years to the day and Emery had just been given his marching orders from Arsenal after a 2-1 home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Europa League, a competition widely regarded as his own having won it more than any other manager.

Following his unsuccessful spell in the Premier League, the Spaniard returned to his homeland, leading Villarreal to consecutive 7^th place finishes as well as a run to the UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2021-22. At this stage, it was hard to ever envisage Emery managing in England’s top tier again…

On 1^st November 2022, Emery replaced Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa, inheriting a side sat 16^th in the table, just a single point above the relegation zone. A risky appointment for both manager and club but one that hit the ground running and has continued to go from strength to strength.

THE NUMBERS

Since Emery’s first game in charge (7^th November 2022), only Man City (86), Arsenal (83) and Liverpool (79) have won more Premier League points than Villa (77 – 38 games). If you were to look at this calendar year alone, only the reigning champions (82) have amassed more top-flight points than Aston Villa’s 71.

It’s been at home, however, where Villa have been unstoppable. A 3-1 win against Manchester United in his first game in charge of the club was followed up by just one win in his next five on home soil (D1 L3). Since then, Emery has turned Villa Park into somewhat of a fortress winning 13 consecutive home league matches, just one short of Villa’s all-time club record. During this 13-game home winning streak, they’ve found themselves behind just once, coming back to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 despite trailing 1-0 in the 86^th minute.

Emery’s average of 2.03 points per game with Villa is the eighth highest for a manager with a single club in Premier League history (min. 38 games in charge). More pertinently, every manager to average 2+ points per game with a side in the competition has won the title with that team at some stage.

THE ENTERTAINERS

Aston Villa have made just nine changes to their starting XI this season, by far the fewest in the division, with 10 players featuring in all 13 of their Premier League games so far (double that of any other side). Meanwhile, centre back Ezri Konsa is one of just 10 outfield players across the division to have not missed a single minute.

This consistency in selection has benefitted Villa considerably with regards to the implementation of Emery’s front-footed style of play. A key feature of their set up under the Spaniard has been their high line. Having a settled defence has been fundamental to their success in provoking opposition offsides, 165 of them in total since Emery took over, at least 72 more than any other side during this period (Liverpool next, 93).

One of the few sides that have been able to exploit Villa’s high line this season were Newcastle on MD1, timing their runs to perfection and consistently breaking past Villa’s last line of defence. They ended the game with nine big chances and an xG of 3.41.

With regards to Villa’s off the ball style, they’ve applied the fewest pressed sequences in the Premier League this season (124) and have the third fewest high turnovers (87), while on the ball, they’ve amassed 15 fast breaks (the joint-highest in the division alongside Wolves), with three of those resulting in a goal (only Liverpool and Forest with more, 4 each), highlighting their strength in transition.

All of the above has resulted in a whopping 49 goals in Aston Villa’s 13 Premier League games so far this season (31 GF & 18 GA), with only Liverpool in 2013-14 (3.97) and Brighton also this term (3.92) seeing their games average more goals in a single Premier League campaign (3.77 for Villa in 2023-24).

PLAYERS FINDING FORM

Ollie Watkins is a player who has hit another level under Unai Emery, averaging a goal every 159 minutes and posting a shot conversion rate of 20%, both his highest figures under a specific manager for Villa in the top-flight. In 2023 alone, he’s scored 19 Premier League goals with only Haaland (29) and Salah (22) netting more this calendar year.

The summer acquisition of Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen has proven to be a shrewd piece of business already, with the Frenchman and Watkins striking up an instant connection, creating 18 chances for one another in the Premier League this season, the second most of any duo behind only Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah (21).

Another player who has hit new heights under the Spaniard is Brazilian Douglas Luiz. Renowned for his defensive capabilities and composure on the ball, Luiz has turned into somewhat of an output machine. 15 goals and assists in 2023 so far for the Brazilian (10 goals, 5 assists), with only two midfielders racking up more goal involvements this calendar year in the competition (Bruno Fernandes & James Maddison). In October, Luiz also broke Dwight’s Yorke’s club record which had stood since 1996, by scoring in six consecutive Premier League games at Villa Park. Not bad for a defensive midfielder!

While Aston Villa’s away form may prevent them from mounting a serious title challenge this time round, there’s no doubting Emery’s impact. In the space of just a year he’s turned Villa’s fortunes from being relegation threatened to competing at the top end of the table.

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