The Unai Emery Thread

[remote]

Totally agree. Is this slow, backwards and forwards walking football Unai’s preferred style? It bored the shit out of everybody in the first half against Wolves and produced little to excite against Stevenage. My hope is that Unai recognises the weakness of this squad and is using a system that negates the worst of the faults. Once he gets better quality on the pitch he’ll adapt the style to something more adventurous and energetic.

I often wonder where this idea of playing out slowly from the back comes from ? - it seemed to lauded as the way forward - it's been tried over and over at villa and has never worked.

Sure the elite clubs now then score a total football goal - but as the basis for building a team it fails everywhere.

Attack at pace - get a wide man to beat a full back.

Passing the ball slowly sideways doesn't achieve anything.

 

[Villan57]

I often wonder where this idea of playing out slowly from the back comes from ? - it seemed to lauded as the way forward - it's been tried over and over at villa and has never worked.

Sure the elite clubs now then score a total football goal - but as the basis for building a team it fails everywhere.

Attack at pace - get a wide man to beat a full back.

Passing the ball slowly sideways doesn't achieve anything.

Yep if you asked our players why they are doing a sideways or backward pass I bet most wouldn't have a clue other than that to keep the ball.
Taking 4 passes to get from one side of the pitch to the other at a walking pace is not a plan.
I'm a dinosaur but it's a fact that most goals come from moves of less than 4 passes, corners free-kicks rebounds and mistakes by defenders under pressure.

They don't come from playing keep-ball around the back 5.

actually thinking that's a lie as most goals seem to happen when goalkeepers and defenders think they are footballers and play out from the back and give the ball away

 

[Villan57]

We haven't got the quality in the final third to break down teams that sit back have we ? In fact a few teams like to play on the counter , Spurs were clueless against us , yet scored 4 away at Palace.

One thing I will say is that we are crying out for proper width , yet Gerrard got rid of the wingers and it's left us woefully short in that area.

we have got more than enough to break down a league two side though , but not when they are lazy arsed billy big bollox players who think they have won before they have even scored

 

[Pangloss]

I will say that it's worth not going too overboard when it comes to the idea that we have this deep inability to break sides down, there's an issue there yes but we had more than enough chances to at least draw the Liverpool game and win the Wolves game.

There's problems to solve against sides who set up to exploit us but in my view a lot of this will be solved by the right recruitment rather there being massive flaws with Emery's system.

 

[VillaTomB38]

One thing is for certain and yesterday really accentuated it, is that this man really needs some time and his own players to do what he wants to do. We aren’t gonna get any better so we need to be patient. I’m not gonna excuse him from any blame yesterday, I think he needs to take some too, more so the players but overall I’m prepared to give him more time than those before him as he comes with such a good pedigree.

 

[Villan57]

I will say that it's worth not going too overboard when it comes to the idea that we have this deep inability to break sides down, there's an issue there yes but we had more than enough chances to at least draw the Liverpool game and win the Wolves game.

There's problems to solve against sides who set up to exploit us but in my view a lot of this will be solved by the right recruitment rather there being massive flaws with Emery's system.

The bottom line is our fringe players should be beating a league two side

 

[Villan57]

One thing is for certain and yesterday really accentuated it, is that this man really needs some time and his own players to do what he wants to do. We aren’t gonna get any better so we need to be patient. I’m not gonna excuse him from any blame yesterday, I think he needs to take some too, more so the players but overall I’m prepared to give him more time than those before him as he comes with such a good pedigree.

Yep once the players can understand him it will help as they clearly never got it yesterday

 

[Dumble]

Some really interesting quotes from the manager here (taken from Birmingham Mail website)...

“At the beginning - when one coach is coming - the first reaction is being excited and everybody giving all they can. But to be consistent in that way, that is difficult to keep.

“The idea is that in two or three years and I am still here, really, we can say that the process was being consistent, demanding and achieving in each moment of the target we are setting. An ambitious objective but, as well, it’s not going to be easy.

“I am not magical here to come here and change everything. Now it’s fantastic, we got 10 points from 15 but the last match we played against Wolves I was very, very upset because I was like, ‘Hey, we are starting so quickly again… not doing the tactical or individual demands I want to put out. And today it was different, completely different.”

So, he was not happy with them after the Wolves game either (rightly so), and, at the time of capitulation yesterday, we had numerous players on the pitch who were also starters v Wolves and Spurs. Not to mention the fact that we lined up with a team full of internationals.

He's literally been here about two months and he's already seeing through some of these players.

We cannot keep just blaming the manger when the same set of core players are here. We now have (in my opinion anyway) a great coach—we have to back him all the way now. What's the alternative?

Edit: Adding the link (though on mobile their website is practically unreadable!)...
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sp...ews/aston-villa-unai-emery-stevenage-25926480

 

[Pangloss]

The bottom line is our fringe players should be beating a league two side

Yes it's as simple as that. But they didn't have the desire. Many of them were laughing and joking with each other through the match.

 

[Old Trinity Villan]

The " first " team is a mid table PL team. Sadly the fringe players are just simply not good enough. We need a few Emery recruits to drop some of the current first team to the bench. However it may be the Summer before most of it happens sadly.

 

[Dumble]

So you think that was the BEST team he could have chosen, if so you must still believe in Father Christmas. We all thought we had dodged a bullet in not having to play Man U or any other half decent side. I would like to think had it been a "better" side he would have at least played a stronger team but it's this mindset that pervades the game that pl teams have to field the fringe players to protect the first team. Why Unai decided to do that is down to him as its not as though a fixture list is heavy with European games !
Yes many of the team was crap and we all know who they are so why pick them. Well done Stevenage for putting out a side that had nothing to lose and they didn't.
Looking forward to more useless platitudes from our Coach on why his team he picks are fecking useless. I have followed the Villa for 75 years with proud memories of winning the FA Cup, League and European Cup, now ashamed and angry at this debacle orchestrated by piss poor team selection with World Cup goalkeeper benched and a clown of a goalkeeper chosen in front of him.

Fair enough, I respect your opinion.
A manager is never entirely beyond reproach.
But useless platitudes? He's been here 5 mins.
If our fans can't give Unai a chance then, I literally don't know where we go from here.

 

[Wicked Messenger]

I like Emery and think he will be fine. As @Dumble quotes above he sees his initial reaction from players to his arrival and ideas beginning to dwindle. The reaction to the win at Spurs appears to be we have made it, we have reached our goal, the hard work is done. Yesterday’s level of effort and lack of personal responsibility will see us fold against more committed teams which on that performance is all of them. Not just switching on in the second half either. Two or three incomings desperately needed.

 

[DeanoVilla]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but has anyone made the point about Emery not learning from his mistakes? Is it a worry?

Olsen got us knocked out of the League Cup, yet Emery picked him again yesterday and low and behold he got us knocked out of the FA Cup too.

I assumed he'd be a bit more ruthless given his pedigree at winning Cup competitions. To make the same mistake twice and for it to cost us twice is worrying.

 

[remote]

Some really interesting quotes from the manager here (taken from Birmingham Mail website)...

“At the beginning - when one coach is coming - the first reaction is being excited and everybody giving all they can. But to be consistent in that way, that is difficult to keep.

“The idea is that in two or three years and I am still here, really, we can say that the process was being consistent, demanding and achieving in each moment of the target we are setting. An ambitious objective but, as well, it’s not going to be easy.

“I am not magical here to come here and change everything. Now it’s fantastic, we got 10 points from 15 but the last match we played against Wolves I was very, very upset because I was like, ‘Hey, we are starting so quickly again… not doing the tactical or individual demands I want to put out. And today it was different, completely different.”

So, he was not happy with them after the Wolves game either (rightly so), and, at the time of capitulation yesterday, we had numerous players on the pitch who were also starters v Wolves and Spurs. Not to mention the fact that we lined up with a team full of internationals.

He's literally been here about two months and he's already seeing through some of these players.

We cannot keep just blaming the manger when the same set of core players are here. We now have (in my opinion anyway) a great coach—we have to back him all the way now. What's the alternative?

Edit: Adding the link (though on mobile their website is practically unreadable!)...
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sp...ews/aston-villa-unai-emery-stevenage-25926480

I agree - but to improve we upgrade significantly on the players we have. A few £15m players from the Spanish league isn't going to cut it.

 

[remote]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but has anyone made the point about Emery not learning from his mistakes? Is it a worry?

Olsen got us knocked out of the League Cup, yet Emery picked him again yesterday and low and behold he got us knocked out of the FA Cup too.

I assumed he'd be a bit more ruthless given his pedigree at winning Cup competitions. To make the same mistake twice and for it to cost us twice is worrying.

TBF - Olsen is so poor that he can't risk relying on him in the PL.

An injury to Martinez yesterday would have had dire implications for us in the PL - a lot more dire that not being in the FA cup.

 

[The French Connection]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but has anyone made the point about Emery not learning from his mistakes? Is it a worry?

Olsen got us knocked out of the League Cup, yet Emery picked him again yesterday and low and behold he got us knocked out of the FA Cup too.

I assumed he'd be a bit more ruthless given his pedigree at winning Cup competitions. To make the same mistake twice and for it to cost us twice is worrying.

I couldn’t agree more. At the very least, considering that getting to Wembley was a major objective, surely at the very least Martinez should have been in goal. What more was there to know about Olsen’s capabilities.

 

[Fulford]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but has anyone made the point about Emery not learning from his mistakes? Is it a worry?

Olsen got us knocked out of the League Cup, yet Emery picked him again yesterday and low and behold he got us knocked out of the FA Cup too.

I assumed he'd be a bit more ruthless given his pedigree at winning Cup competitions. To make the same mistake twice and for it to cost us twice is worrying.

It's something that worried me yesterday. All I can think of is that he's written this season off including the cups and is making a point to the owners that the squad he has isn't capable of winning anything and that people like Lange aren't up to the job and won't be able to provide what he wants.

I think heads are about to roll and I would expect Lange to be top of the list of departures.

 

[tarzansbrother]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but has anyone made the point about Emery not learning from his mistakes? Is it a worry?

Olsen got us knocked out of the League Cup, yet Emery picked him again yesterday and low and behold he got us knocked out of the FA Cup too.

I assumed he'd be a bit more ruthless given his pedigree at winning Cup competitions. To make the same mistake twice and for it to cost us twice is worrying.

I think you will see how ruthless he is after yesterday. We won’t see Olsen again and he will be sold in the summer - Dendonker will be sold on aswell - maybe included to get another deal over the line. Cup runs can distract from the priority of staying in the league - something I think will happen to Wolves - having said that yesterday was a shit show - something we have seen from this set of players for a while now regardless of the manager in charge

 

[Silhillvilla]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but has anyone made the point about Emery not learning from his mistakes? Is it a worry?

Olsen got us knocked out of the League Cup, yet Emery picked him again yesterday and low and behold he got us knocked out of the FA Cup too.

I assumed he'd be a bit more ruthless given his pedigree at winning Cup competitions. To make the same mistake twice and for it to cost us twice is worrying.

another example would be continually playing Bailey, particularly down the Right. I wouldn't play him period, but if you do play him its surely on the Left ?

 

[sirdennis]

another example would be continually playing Bailey, particularly down the Right. I wouldn't play him period, but if you do play him its surely on the Left ?

The biggest concern is not having any other options out wide. Gerrard shipped them all out and never replaced them.