Aston Villa’s Remarkable Progress under Unai Emery
Aston Villa is a club steeped in history that once upon a time were regular competitors in the biggest competitions in Europe, but years of underachievement have seen the club drift down the football pyramid. However, the 2019-20 season marked an incredible turnaround for the club, with Villa securing promotion back to the Premier League after a three-year hiatus.
Fast forward five months, and Villa stands sixth in the table and has a real chance of securing European football next season. While many factors have contributed to this remarkable transformation, much of the credit must go to the club’s manager, Unai Emery.
Emery joined Aston Villa in November 2019 as the long-term replacement for Steven Gerrard. The Spaniard inherited a club in the middle of the table and without any distinction, but he has since transformed it into one of the biggest clubs in the country, with a points-per-game average of 1.84.
With 11 league wins, two draws, and just four losses to date, Emery’s success at Villa has impressed in comparison to his predecessor Gerrard, whose final record stood at an average of just 1.16 points per game. Villa’s performance this season has been nothing short of remarkable, with only Arsenal and Manchester City achieving more points in the league than the Birmingham giants since Emery’s appointment.
It is undoubtedly Aston Villa’s form since the restart that has caught many people’s attention. They have been in incredible form, winning seven out of their last 10 matches against some of the league’s top sides. This impressive run of form has put the club within six points of fifth place, while many Villa fans are now dreaming of securing a place in Europe next season.
However, Emery remains cautious and knows the task ahead of Villans is not an easy one. The club needs to be near perfect to secure a place in Europe, and they face some tricky fixtures against Brentford, Manchester United, Tottenham, and Liverpool.
In conclusion, Emery’s success at Aston Villa has been nothing short of incredible. His managerial qualities have transformed the club into a competitive force in the Premier League, and Villans can now look optimistically towards the future. While European football may be a bridge too far this season, there is no doubt that the club’s trajectory is headed in the right direction, and the future looks very bright under the stewardship of Unai Emery.
