Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
EMERY’S PLUGGED VILLA INTO HIS GRID... AND IT’S SIMPLY ELECTRIFYING
SCORELINES don’t lie, nor does the form book – or the Premier League table.
Since Unai Emery accepted the brief to lift Aston Villa out of the relegation zone six months ago, their rise through the pack has been meteoric.
Amassing more than two points per game – over the course of the season that return would see them sitting comfortably within the top four – the Spaniard (right) has fully answered any remaining questions about his managerial credentials.
The jury might have been out when he left Arsenal four years ago, but ask anyone who has witnessed the rebirth at Villa Park after his arrival and there will be only one verdict.
That Emery is guilty – of turning Villa into a genuine force again.
For the most part, these are the same players. In fact, it could be argued that the squad is weaker, given the stars who departed during the January window, with Danny Ings, to West Ham, top of that list. So, what has turned the tide?
Emery inherited a group of players who were eager to be taught the finer points of how to win football matches.
Behind-the-scenes, the 51-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain coach works with his training pitches marked out into squares.
Players are drilled relentlessly as to their position, both on the pitch and in relation to their colleagues.
The evidence for that improvement has been most marked in the ‘goals against’ column, where the rate has been slashed by almost half.
Emery invests time in his players and has individually talked them through what he sees as areas for improvement.
He wasn’t happy, for instance, with the speed with which centre-half Ezri Konsa was ridding himself of the ball, sometimes choosing the wrong pass out of defence. Emery has taken him to one side, explained how the defender has more time on the ball than he thinks – and Villa are prospering.
So, too, is Tyrone Mings, who has been given personal tuition by Emery’s backroom team.
The real secret are the grids, marked out in 10x10m squares, where the ex-Sevilla boss insists his players operate, in and out of possession. That discipline has reaped reward.
Of course, it helps when there is a buy-in among senior players. As results picked up, confidence in the manager has grown and his squad can see the benefit of his teaching.
This is also a squad that now boasts a good level of Premier League experience.
Under Dean Smith, they were rookies. Hardly anyone had played at the top. But now they know what it takes to succeed.
Finally, freed of looking over his shoulder – almost frightened of seeing if Ings would become Emery’s main man – striker Ollie Watkins began enjoying the form of his life, and has netted 11 goals in his past 14 outings.
Emery is desperate to return European football to Villa Park.
As a specialist in the Europa League – he has won the competition four times – he knows it will help with his recruitment drive this summer.
It is the first plank towards returning Aston Villa to the upper reaches of the Premier League – where ambitious and wealthy owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have the financial firepower to enable them to compete.
Emery has taken great strides at Aston Villa. But his story is only just beginning.
ERIK TEN HAG makes no bones about it – landing a new striker is his No.1 priority this summer.
The admission came shortly after Manchester United travelling fans had playfully serenaded England captain Harry Kane with chants of ‘We’ll see you in June’.
Tottenham ace Kane acknowledged he’d heard the song in north London on Thursday as United opened up a two-goal lead before eventually being held to a 2-2 draw.
And Red Devils boss Ten Hag – who has Kane and Napoli goal-machine Victor Osimhen in his sights – later opened up on the importance of signing a top-class centre-forward in the upcoming transfer window.
“Yeah, I think everyone knows,” Ten Hag said when asked if a new No.9 will be his focus.
“It’s not a secret that over the whole season we had a shortage of No.9s.
“First, we had the drop out of Ronaldo, then Anthony Martial was often not available. Jadon Sancho was often not available, then you have a shortage of frontline players. With less players we have to cover many games, so definitely we need, in the frontline, players who strengthen the squad.
“You can approach that from many ways. Marcus Rashford can also play very good as a No.9 and Anthony Martial is a great No.9.
“We have players who can play in that role but, definitely, we need some offensive players who are really impact players, quality players, who improve the frontline.”
Rashford, essentially a winger, has been prolific this season. His strike at Spurs was his 29th in all competitions at club level, by far his best ever return.
His run of eight goals in seven games post-World Cup was a huge step up as a goal threat. Whoever United do bring in, fans will be salivating at the prospect of having a fresh goal-getter alongside Rashford banging them in.
Ten Hag added: “We worked on Rashford as a No.9.
“He can do both – it depends on the opposition, which role is the best fit.
“It’s also the formation that’s important for him... with players where he can make combinations and make movements.
“He’s doing that very well and I’m happy and satisfied with his role. But, also, when he’s playing from the left he has a big impact on our games.”
Ten Hag and United will hope Rashford has a big impact on Aston
Villa today in a game that has become a clash between two clubs hunting for Champions League qualification.
Unai Emery has transformed Villa since taking over. If they win at Old Trafford, they will move just three points behind Ten Hag’s men, albeit having played two games more.
A Europa League spot is a much more likely target for Villa but they will dare to believe if they can beat
United – something Ten Hag knows they are capable of after Emery masterminded a 3-1 victory against them in November’s reverse fixture, after replacing Steven Gerrard.
The United boss said: “We met him in that game and he surprised us.
“We had low energy levels, so we have to avoid that – but he surprised us with the system. Three days after, we learnt a lot from that game and we bounced back and had a good win over them [in the EFL Cup].
“This will be a tough game, we’re totally aware of it, this team made good progression.
“But it’s up to us. If we’re ready for the game, we have the right energy levels, with the right focus, at Old Trafford with the fans behind us, then we have a good chance to win because we know we are very strong.”