Unai Emery

[Keyblade]

Forgot that Torres was rested too. The more I think about it, the more I think it was a masterstroke by Unai. We'll be as fresh a team as we can hope to be for the next 10 (hopefully 13) games. This is supposed to be the time of the year where the fixtures would take their toll on a team like ours, but we've essentially given some of our key players 2-3 week breaks, while also incentivising the fringe players to put a proper shift in. I expect to see the likes of Zaniolo, Duran and Lenglet more in Europe now, and be confident that we'll be getting good performances out of them.

[romavillan]

I think Emery has been very astute, we will need a contribution from nearly all of our squad members between now and the end of the season. Especially if we get to the ECL final. Chambers' clanger is testament to the fact that not playing for a while and getting thrown on is desperately difficult. 

Hopefully we reap the benefits of some fringe players getting minutes. It's not guaranteed but the only way for them to perform better in proper games is to play in competitive fixtures...

[Stevo985]

The comparison to MON is nonsense.

What MON did was to sacrifice an entire competition to favour the league.

 

Emery hasn't done that at all. He's sacrificed one game, that we probably would have lost anyway, to ensure that we win the next game in the same competition as well as our European tie.

[Tomaszk]

3 hours ago, VillanousOne said:

Those 3 points dropped could haunt us if we don't qualify.

If we finish 6th and you point to Man City away as where it was lost you have an odd view of football.

[Tom13]

7 hours ago, DakotaVilla said:

It may not work for you but it clearly worked for Emery and I suspect he knows more about football than all of us will ever know in our lifetimes combined.

Doubt it mate, I've got over 8k rep on VT which proves my knowledge.

Edited April 4 by Tom13

[VillanousOne]

4 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

The comparison to MON is nonsense.

What MON did was to sacrifice an entire competition to favour the league.

 

Emery hasn't done that at all. He's sacrificed one game, that we probably would have lost anyway, to ensure that we win the next game in the same competition as well as our European tie.

I didn't bring up the MON thing i just responded to it, I pointed out if anything he did the opposite, but neither opinion is credible.

I hope we do win the next game and against Lille and Unai was right.
 

[beasley14]

Nobody likes losing games, don't confuse our understanding of the decision as gleefully accepting defeat.

After tonight's result it looks like a good decision, huge game Sat.

[sharkyvilla]

7 hours ago, beasley14 said:

Nobody likes losing games, don't confuse our understanding of the decision as gleefully accepting defeat.

After tonight's result it looks like a good decision, huge game Sat.

Yeah if we get wins against Brentford and Lille by being able to put our first choice team out and Utd drop more points against Liverpool then it just further highlights Unai's genius decision making.

[Vive_La_Villa]

When I see teams like United it makes me even more grateful for Emery. After nearly 2 seasons in charge I still couldn’t tell you how United play. With the ball It seems to be give it to Garnacho quickly and let him run at defenders.  Without the ball there doesn’t seem to be a midfield at times. 2,3 passes and teams get through and then it’s all last ditch. 
 

it makes you wonder what these teams work on in training day in day out to still not have an identity and style after 2 years.

[KevinRichardsonsMoustache]

We're seeing the pragmatist side of Emery in action: it's as clear as day to anyone with eyes that we're limping across the line. He's trying to manage it by using the players at his disposal and picking his battles.

By using the squad, he's also breathing some life into what are, at the end of the day, the club's assets. So, for example, if KKH isn't good enough, the fact that he's been in the first team adds a bit of value. if we sell him. 

I'm not saying Emery is playing 4D chess, but I think we're seeing a different side of his managerial abilities. Keep in mind that in taking this approach, he knows he needs to sell it to the players, too. Confidence at Villa has been so paper thin over the last {forever} that he needs to be careful: but perhaps this sort of thing, if it works, builds character in the squad in general (think of how we've bounced back from heavy defeats this season).

[Tom13]

13 minutes ago, Captain_Townsend said:

Yeah, he's proper crap isn't he 

No

[HanoiVillan]

33 minutes ago, KevinRichardsonsMoustache said:

We're seeing the pragmatist side of Emery in action: it's as clear as day to anyone with eyes that we're limping across the line. He's trying to manage it by using the players at his disposal and picking his battles.

By using the squad, he's also breathing some life into what are, at the end of the day, the club's assets. So, for example, if KKH isn't good enough, the fact that he's been in the first team adds a bit of value. if we sell him. 

I'm not saying Emery is playing 4D chess, but I think we're seeing a different side of his managerial abilities. Keep in mind that in taking this approach, he knows he needs to sell it to the players, too. Confidence at Villa has been so paper thin over the last {forever} that he needs to be careful: but perhaps this sort of thing, if it works, builds character in the squad in general (think of how we've bounced back from heavy defeats this season).

Good post, this. A useful perspective. 

[DJBOB]

2 hours ago, KevinRichardsonsMoustache said:

We're seeing the pragmatist side of Emery in action: it's as clear as day to anyone with eyes that we're limping across the line. He's trying to manage it by using the players at his disposal and picking his battles.

By using the squad, he's also breathing some life into what are, at the end of the day, the club's assets. So, for example, if KKH isn't good enough, the fact that he's been in the first team adds a bit of value. if we sell him. 

I'm not saying Emery is playing 4D chess, but I think we're seeing a different side of his managerial abilities. Keep in mind that in taking this approach, he knows he needs to sell it to the players, too. Confidence at Villa has been so paper thin over the last {forever} that he needs to be careful: but perhaps this sort of thing, if it works, builds character in the squad in general (think of how we've bounced back from heavy defeats this season).

Like any long campaign, the resources in the beginning are almost never the same resources at the end. 
 
Especially given the injuries we’ve had this year, I doubt Unai would have thought he would be without Mings, Buendia, and Kamara at this point in the season. JJ has played the full 90 only 7 times.

Part of being a leader is having that situational awareness and Unai’s own comments, while on the humble side, has been reflective of that. He never once thought about being this squad being a title challenger. He consistently stated the danger of Chelsea, United, and Newcastle overtaking us. He didn’t want to talk about UCL until match week 33-34. 
 
And yet he’s motivated this team far enough where UCL is far more likely than not and we’re in the quarters for conference league. 
 
There are no style points to win and nothing left to prove. Win enough matches for 4th/5th, win the conference league and get these players to the summer for a much needed rest. 

[Osirus]

He could play Austin Macphee right back with Emi up front and I’ll still back him. 
 

Hes got us in 4th with 8 games to go, just trust the bloke he’s a genius 

[KentVillan]

It’s testament to what Emery has achieved in the last couple of seasons that people think we had a realistic chance of points at the Etihad with Martinez, Watkins, McGinn, Kamara, Mings, Buendia, and Ramsey all out.

He’s a victim of his own success sometimes on here. It’s insane how well we’re coping with this injury crisis.

[TRO]

Unai Emery is on an Ambitious trail to make Aston Villa a successful team again.....He regularly makes references to the Journey like " a no excuse culture"......."I have only managed 10% of my work" after last season.

What he has done to turn this club around is remarkable, beyond my dreams, but he quick to say, " we have a way to go"

Some comments on here after defeats, seem intent on shutting down that theory, as if to suggest, we have done all we can......and constructive observations in a game, where we have lost, seem ungrateful and unwarranted.

I find an inability, to discuss ways we can improve as negative, the contrary to those that suggest engaging in debate after a defeat as negative and counter intuitive, is bizarre to me.

I would wager, if you had a permitted meeting with the manager, he could privately discuss plans he has to improve us as a team......even if we didn't improve on the league standing, we may improve on our conviction, in certain fixtures.

Being 4th, in some folks eyes, see it as job done or that is implied.....when I would suggest Unai, feels the opposite, and much improvement is planned in the future seasons. It's not much further up the league we can go, but we can look more convincing in that position and I think that is where the manager will be working on. It is clear to me, and I guess many others the distinction between us and the top 3 in playing terms,( many,many legitimate reasons for that), and that is not meant as a criticism, on the contrary...an observation.

My final point.....This is an Aston Villa Forum.....The manager is very quick to remind us, its WIP.....He is often reminding us of the work he has planned to improve us.....He talks about the Journey....and he talks about no pressure, no stress, just keep improving in all aspects of the club, it's all about opportunities.....He acts with composure, humility and confidence in his process...but above all acknowledges, there is room for improvement.

He cannot come out and discuss, all elements/details of that proposed improvement, timeline, and actions planned, for obvious reasons....but we can.

It is no way, thankless, to where we have come from, to discuss intelligently the shortfalls in our game......I have no doubt, he does in the appropriate areas/ moments......so why can't we, without fear of being unappreciative.

Edited April 6 by TRO

[DJBOB]

37 minutes ago, TRO said:

Unai Emery is on an Ambitious trail to make Aston Villa a successful team again.....He regularly makes references to the Journey like " a no excuse culture"......."I have only managed 10% of my work" after last season.

What he has done to turn this club around is remarkable, beyond my dreams, but he quick to say, " we have a way to go"

Some comments on here after defeats, seem intent on shutting down that theory, as if to suggest, we have done all we can......and constructive observations in a game, where we have lost, seem ungrateful and unwarranted.

I find an inability, to discuss ways we can improve as negative, the contrary to those that suggest engaging in debate after a defeat as negative and counter intuitive, is bizarre to me.

I would wager, if you had a permitted meeting with the manager, he could privately discuss plans he has to improve us as a team......even if we didn't improve on the league standing, we may improve on our conviction, in certain fixtures.

Being 4th, in some folks eyes, see it as job done or that is implied.....when I would suggest Unai, feels the opposite, and much improvement is planned in the future seasons. It's not much further up the league we can go, but we can look more convincing in that position and I think that is where the manager will be working on. It is clear to me, and I guess many others the distinction between us and the top 3 in playing terms,( many,many legitimate reasons for that), and that is not meant as a criticism, on the contrary...an observation.

My final point.....This is an Aston Villa Forum.....The manager is very quick to remind us, its WIP.....He is often reminding us of the work he has planned to improve us.....He talks about the Journey....and he talks about no pressure, no stress, just keep improving in all aspects of the club, it's all about opportunities.....He acts with composure, humility and confidence in his process...but above all acknowledges, there is room for improvement.

He cannot come out and discuss, all elements/details of that proposed improvement, timeline, and actions planned, for obvious reasons....but we can.

It is no way, thankless, to where we have come from, to discuss intelligently the shortfalls in our game......I have no doubt, he does in the appropriate area's......so why can't we, without fear of being unappreciative.

Because there's little context around why people are 'satisfied' with 4th.

Of course there's always room for improvement, but not long ago we were struggling to get out of the relegation zone. And then you have other fans complaining about not going for it against title winners when we're on a bare bones squad.

I think the larger reason is that there are some posters who are willing to write reams and reams of text when we lose and then just a nice little, "job done" when we win.

That's fans at large - there's always some bloke moaning endlessly about anything when you're at VP too.

But that type of negativity, in general, is annoying when it's so heavily slanted to one side.

So as annoying eternal optimism is, so is the eternal pessimism.

[Pongo Waring]

In Emery we Trust

[stewiek2]

I'm watching a BBC archive clip of a 76 year old Tolkein and he looks like an elderly Unai!

Especially at one point where he talks of use of elf language how his mouth moves in pronunciation.

It's fate he became our manager. This superior intellectual local writer and this superior intellectual manager.

Edited April 5 by stewiek2

[Vive_La_Villa]

On 04/04/2024 at 17:23, Stevo985 said:

The comparison to MON is nonsense.

What MON did was to sacrifice an entire competition to favour the league.

 

Emery hasn't done that at all. He's sacrificed one game, that we probably would have lost anyway, to ensure that we win the next game in the same competition as well as our European tie.

Plus he only only did that because of how many key players we had missing anyway. Had we have had a stronger squad he may have gone for the strongest 11.

Its shit for those that travelled but Emery has to look at the bigger picture rather than individual games.