Unai Emery is doing a pretty good job at Aston Villa. Finally, something we can all agree on.
The former Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla head coach left Villarreal to replace Steven Gerrard at Villa Park in October 2022. The Villans had only won two of their opening 11 Premier League matches that season, sitting 16th in the table and one point above the relegation zone.
After a strong start under the Liverpool legend, Villa’s form collapsed and Emery was seen as a major coup, even if he failed as Arsene Wenger’s replacement at Arsenal.
His first match in charge was a 3-1 win over Manchester United – the club’s first home league win over the Red Devils since 1995 – and it quickly became clear that his time in the Midlands would be a lot more successful than it was in the capital.
Emery’s success at Aston Villa has exceeded all expectations. Despite an awful start with Gerrard in charge, Villa managed to finish seventh in the Premier League after winning 15 of their remaining 25 matches, qualifying for the Europa Conference League.
In the club’s first European campaign since 2010/11, they were expected to win the competition but came up short against eventual winners Olympiacos in the semi-final.
Emery made up for that with an incredible Premier League campaign.
Balancing the Thursday-Sunday schedule is extremely difficult at the best of times but the ex-Arsenal boss did so masterfully. He made some big signings like Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby but it was the development of players he inherited that surprised most. He helped Ollie Watkins become one of the best strikers in Europe and took several others to a level they did not seem capable of reaching under Stevie G.
An outstanding 2023/24 campaign included back-to-back victories over Manchester City and Arsenal – who they beat home and away – in December.
Villa also beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and hammered Brighton 6-1 at home on their way to an incredible fourth-placed finish ahead of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur, with Watkins finishing the campaign on 19 goals and 15 assists in the top flight.
In Europe’s premier competition for the first time since the 1980s, Villa did not qualify merely to enjoy the experience. They have Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-final and given the French club’s European woes, it would not be a huge shock to see Emery’s men progress.
Again balancing Europe with domestic football, Villa are bubbling along very nicely in the Premier League and have an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley to look forward to. They are going about their business quietly in a hectic top half, currently sitting sixth with seven matches remaining. It is the best race for Champions League qualification for a long time and five places are up for grabs, meaning Villa and Emery have every chance of returning in 2025/26.
Only two points separate the Villans and Chelsea in fourth, though there are also only six points between them and tenth-placed Bournemouth.
Back-to-back campaigns in the Champions League places would be astonishing and even if they come up short, Emery deserves an incredible amount of praise for the job he is doing.
It is no surprise to see only Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City have accumulated more points and wins since Emery’s arrival and only four teams have a superior goal difference.
Here is the full Premier League table since Unai Emery officially took charge of Aston Villa on November 1, 2022:
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