Before a ball was kicked this season, Aston Villa fans would have anticipated their side sitting higher than 11th place after 20 matches. Yet despite their position in the bottom half of the table, Villa supporters are full of optimism right now. For that they have Unai Emery to thank.
When the Spaniard took charge at the beginning of November, he inherited a team that was just one point outside the relegation zone.
Despite bringing in seven new faces in the summer, Villa had won just three of their first 13 games and had scored the third-fewest goals in the division. In other words, they were one of the Premier League’s biggest underachievers in the first third of the campaign.
What a difference a few months can make. Because they are still in the bottom half, the scale of Villa’s improvement has gone a little under the radar. But only Emery’s former club Arsenal (2.75) have averaged more points per game than Villa (2.29) since the ex-Gunners boss returned to English football.
A 1-0 triumph over Southampton on Saturday means Emery has overseen wins in five of his seven league games in charge - more than double the amount of victories registered by his predecessor Steven Gerrard this season. After a poor start to the campaign, Villa are on the march again.
Emery has wasted little time in making Villa more dangerous as an attacking force. Under Gerrard, they averaged 3.9 shots on target per game this season. This is up to 4.3 in the matches Emery has taken charge of - not a huge increase, but a significant one when you consider the new Villa boss has already had to face Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Villa are looking more defensively solid too. They are conceding a goal a game on average under Emery, compared to 1.36 under his predecessor. Tyrone Mings is back to his best and Ezri Konsa has also been more assured than was the case towards the end of Gerrard’s time at the club.
One of the main criticisms of Gerrard’s Villa was how narrow the team was. This made them predictable in forward areas, with opponents able to shut down their attack by closing down space centrally.
Yet rather than radically overhauling Gerrard’s model of play, Emery has persisted with a somewhat narrow shape while making Villa much more effective in their use of it. Emery is currently employing a 4-4-2 system which has used a variety of different players in the wider berths: Emi Buendia, Jacob Ramsey, Matty Cash, John McGinn and Leon Bailey.
Emery’s teams of the past have tended to be well organised and compact without the ball, and Villa are no exception. The 4-4-2 allows them to squeeze the space between the lines, making it difficult for opponents to play through their structure.
The key difference is that Villa have been more proactive under Emery. They had 63.5% possession against Southampton, their highest figure since a 2-0 defeat by Bournemouth on the opening day of the season. They are building from the back and have a clear on-field identity. When you watch Emery’s Villa, you can see exactly what they are trying to do. That was not always the case during Gerrard’s tenure.
No one should get carried away just yet. Gerrard won four of his first six matches last term but that initial upturn in fortunes proved to be illusory.
Emery has a great deal more experience behind him than Gerrard, who had only ever managed one club before his arrival in Birmingham in November 2021. Yet the Spaniard’s league record in Spain was patchy, with Emery enjoying most of his success in knockout competitions. Villa are bound to hit a sticky spell at some point in the coming months and they will struggle to maintain their current points-per-game rate.
Right now, though, a feeling of positivity has returned to Villa Park. This is a club with a rich history and huge potential, but Villa have punched below their weight over the last decade.
With Emery at the helm, it feels like they now have a manager who matches the status of the club. Just three points adrift of the top six, do not bet against Villa making a late charge for Europe this season.
