His European record is still going strong with Villa at the top of its Europa Conference League group with one game left, but it is in the Premier League where he is producing his best work.Īt Villa Park on Saturday, he can show his former club exactly what it is missing.It was over the September international break that The Athletic wrote this piece on McTominay’s more attacking role for Scotland and whether Ten Hag should give him similar freedoms at Old Trafford.īack then, we concluded that while he is best at making late arrivals into the penalty box to score, his lack of creative passing made it unlikely for a club of United’s ambitions to build the team around his skills. Villa seems to be a perfect fit, with Emery in his element as he exceeds expectations for a club that was playing in English soccer’s second tier as recently as 2019. He quickly rebuilt his reputation at Villarreal - beating Manchester United in the final to win the Europa League and then leading the team to the semifinals of the Champions League. Qatari-backed PSG may be the most powerful team in France, but Emery failed to win the title in his first year at the club and also fell short in the Champions League.Īt Arsenal, he was expected to get the club challenging at the top of the Premier League again after a period of decline toward the end of Wenger’s reign.Įmery appears to be more at home with an underdog. Sevilla and Villarreal are traditionally overshadowed by Spain’s glamor clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona. Reports at the time said there were also concerns over his ability to communicate with players because of his command of the English language.įilling Wenger’s boots, meanwhile, was always going to be a tall order for whoever came after the Frenchman, who won three league titles and seven FA Cups in a 22-year reign.Īnother consideration is the pressure that comes with managing one of the most storied clubs in European soccer.Įmery’s success has generally been with teams from outside of the elite, which is why he has so often been in a position to win the Europa League - European club soccer’s second-tier competition. Not that his troubles were limited to the disappointing performances on the field, which failed to live up to the attractive and attacking style that was Wenger’s hallmark. While Arsenal ran City close in the race for the title last season and is leading the way this year, Arteta was given time and support during difficult periods after succeeding Emery.Įmery’s achievements before and after Arsenal suggest he might have been able to get it right at the London club as well. He had, after all, led Paris Saint-Germain to the French title in his previous role and won the Europa League on three occasions with Sevilla.Īfter leaving Arsenal he lifted the Europa League again with Villarreal to add to his reputation as a serial winner. It will never be known if he could have turned the club’s fortunes around had he been given more time to implement his plans. Arsenal had also finished runner-up in the Europa League.Īrsenal said at the time that its decision to part ways with Emery was “due to results and performances not being at the level required.” But behind us is Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham and it is going to be very difficult,” Emery said.Įmery had succeeded longtime manager Arsene Wenger at Arsenal but was fired after a seven-game winless run left it eighth in the standings. “We are aware of where we are in the table. Villa was a worthy winner against Pep Guardiola’s City, having dominated the chances and equaled a club record 14-straight victories at home. He led Villa into Europe last term and now has the team bidding for a Champions League spot - possibly more. Victory against last season’s treble winners was the latest evidence of Emery’s impressive work.
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