Unai Emery

[gaz90]

That article's slightly misleading. He said that those clubs were the next step of his career in Spain, which is probably the reason he moved back to the Premier League - to continue his development as a manager.

[His Name Is Death]

The original interview (edit: thanks @The_Rev, I didn't realise there was already a proper translation. Removed the Google translation I posted before):

https://en.as.com/soccer/as-interview-with-unai-emery-aston-villa-boss-talks-premier-league-european-ambitions-pep-vs-arteta-n/

You have been breaking historic Premier League records with Aston Villa - the most recent, scoring in 20 consecutive games since your arrival - at least one goal in every single game…
The positive statistics show us the path we have to continue on. Even though the process changed a little after we lost three games in a row against Leicester, Manchester City and Arsenal. After that, we worked with the team, focused on tactical discipline and since then it’s gradually started to look more comfortable. We’ve reached this stage of the season looking reliable and gaining results. We’re in the top six. But making sure we stay there with teams like Liverpool, Brighton, Tottenham… That’s the most difficult part.

Why did you choose the Premier League?
As a professional, English football has always been very attractive for me. I was happy at Villarreal, I felt it was a competitive environment, but I was given the opportunity to return to the Premier League and that represented a new impulse for me professionally - it was a new challenge and a new project. I was looking to better myself, reach new boundaries but outside of Spain, where I had been reaching objectives. The Villa project is a process which we are only starting now. It’s a project that we have to build and ensure that within the next three to four years, we have constructed a team that is healthy and solid.

Villa have players like Emiliano Martínez, Diego Carlos, Digne, Coutinho… but the squad was already built, it’s not yours...
Sure. All of the players can improve - or get worse… (laughs). The players have to find answers to what you give them. They should be able to gain something from my knowledge as a coach. My job is to try to make them better players. The best reward for any coach is when you can see a notable improvement, collectively or individually, in your players. In a way it’s a selfish objective, because it’s about improving them so that I can win.

In six months, you’ve taken the team from 17th position to 5th!
If you can do something in six months rather than three years, then even better (laughs)! During those first five months, we were forced to work at breakneck speed out of need more than anything else. Firstly, because we were in the relegation zone; secondly, because we were also involved in the process of building the team. Our performances have exceeded all expectations and, once we were in that dynamic, we’ve tried to keep it going, to not stop. If we can get out of the bottom part of the table and finish in the top 10, great; if we can make our way up the top half of the table and end up in the European places, even better.

Is qualifying for the Champions League a realistic objective?
The objective I’ve set myself is twofold: try to win a trophy and try to get Aston Villa back into Europe. We were knocked out of both of the Cup competitions we played in this season, partly because at the time our priority was improving our situation in the league. But winning trophies is on my mind. Our resurgence in the league has allowed us to bring some processes forward. But I prefer to be cautious. We’ve done really well for a portion of the season, but the most difficult part is still to come.

You’ve set the bar quite high.
My conversations with the players and with the club are the same: that within three years, we have the same excitement and hopes as we have now. In three years, I would like to be here now and able to tell you that we have gained stability, consistency and that things are going well for us. I am not asking that everything should be wonderful right now, I just hope that the outlook is just as good in three years’ time as it is now.

How do you always manage to turn your players into winners?
Basically, we have taken four steps with this squad, with the players - who are all very good players, but who haven’t always managed to achieve good performances - some have, but maybe not on a regular basis: be organised, have discipline, be competitive and have the right mentality. You have to develop a winning mentality. We start out by working with the player and hopefully end up with the player we want him to be. You need to educate them and create a winning mentality.

You know the Premier League well, what did you discover on your return?
A competition which just keeps getting harder and harder. When I was at Arsenal, the top four clubs were very strong and they were already talking about the Top 6 - the clubs we all know about now. But with Newcastle, there is now a Top 7, and we also want to join and be the eighth team in that group, to create a Top 8. Aston Villa should have a place there, among them. There are enough good teams for a Top 8 or even a Top 10 because the economic clout is there.

Your stint at Arsenal - is it a thorn in your side?
I enjoyed a full season at Arsenal and it was a very nice experience. We were fighting right up until the final day to enter the top four places and we lost the Europa League final to Chelsea. We were close to reaching our objectives, the same as I hope to do here at Aston Villa. What I went through at Arsenal served me to come back here with the right people around me.

Can you understand why people were outraged that you left Villarreal, the Champions League semi-finalists, for Aston Villa, and Álex Moreno left Betis to join you in the January window?
It’s really quite natural. All of us need to go in search of challenges at some time or another. I have been fortunate enough to have been at three top level clubs in Spain: Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal. Obviously, I am very grateful for that, but then the next step in Spain would be to coach Atlético, Madrid or Barça… But breaking through that barrier comes with a lot of difficulties. The Premier League has given me the chance to continue growing. Of course, Sevilla, Villarreal and Valencia did that too, but here, I am confronted with new difficulties. And let’s not forget that the Premier League attracts the highest number of investors, the best managers and players in the world.

Do you think it’s easier for you to progress as a coach in the Premier League than in Spain?
I have grown a lot in LaLiga and have great admiration for the Spanish league, but due to certain situations, I had to leave to work in Moscow and then Paris. I started to distance myself a little from Spain. But those experiences helped me get to the next level, new limits. The next one was the Premier League with Arsenal. The Premier League has always been attractive. It’s the birthplace of football and where there is a genuine feeling about everything that surrounds this sport: the fans, the passion with which they live the game, every city protects its teams, the fans are incredibly faithful…

Why do you think there are six Spanish coaches in the Premier League?
It’s just circumstances, moments in time. Right now, Spanish coaches are in a very strong, cultural process. Back home in Spain, there are lots of ways of being good at your job. Some countries have an advantage over us because English is their second language. That’s why so many Portuguese coaches have worked abroad for so many years. We are doing that now in Spain. We have shown that we are capable of responding to a very demanding competitive level. I am much more qualified now than I was when I was at Arsenal, and better than I was when I was in Moscow and Paris. When I was at Villarreal, I pondered over the Spanish league a lot, but without forgetting that one day I would like the challenge of going somewhere else and being better prepared for the job.

Guardiola and Arteta are battling for the title with a very defined style of football, almost the polar opposite of the classic English game...
(Spends a few moments thinking) Winning makes your opponents respect you. As it happens, both Pep and Arteta are winning. But if you don’t win, they’re not going to respect you. We’ve had references in the past for which I am very thankful for. The first was Benítez and after that, Guardiola. Some say that Pep has done things badly, but I think everything he has done, he’s done really well. He opened a lot of doors for the rest of us with what he has done. He is the best coach I have ever met. Taking some of his methods and using them in your own way helps. Arteta has an advantage because he was a player in England - he knows the culture, and he’s also worked alongside Guardiola doing a job which later came in very useful for him. Then there are prestigious coaches like Lopetegui, Javi Gracia who took his team to the FA Cup final, Roberto Martínez back in the day… All of that helps.

And the successes they achieved of course…
In Spain, we allow foreign coaches as long as they bring something different to the job. I want to learn from what other people show me. I had Toshack, who was welcomed with open arms. I was a player in Real Sociedad’s B team and occasionally trained with the first team. I saw him at work. He had a very distinct personality. He brought something extra to La Real and did the same in LaLiga later with Real Madrid. In England I also hope that I can bring something different. They really appreciate it if you can.

What things can you bring?
I was lucky enough to be at Valencia for four years playing in Europe, at Sevilla and winning three Europa Leagues in a row, that gave me the chance to go to PSG, then to Arsenal, to Villarreal… I think I’ve spent 15 consecutive years coaching sides playing in Europe. That gets you recognised. I am very grateful for that and also recognise my part in it. I tell myself: ‘Unai, they want you here for the successes you’ve had’. At Aston Villa, they want the same success I’ve had, and all of that mixed together is what has allowed me to have this opportunity.

During your career, you have suffered painful episodes - such as PSG’s elimination from the Champions League at Camp Nou. Do you think you have triumphed at many different clubs but stumbled with the big clubs?
I’ve never looked at it that way. Football has many dark sides - like we have been seeing lately… I experienced those things in person and it’s been a factor which affected me negatively. But I live for the present and consider what happened in the past as valuable to me. I’m very happy at Aston Villa, I was happy at Villarreal, at PSG, at Arsenal, I was happy at Sevilla, at Spartak, at Valencia, at Almería, at Lorca, the clubs where it all started, which I will never forget… The responsibility which I have now comes before what went on in the past.

In terms of football, is there anything that you have especially liked in England?
The best coach I have ever seen is here - Pep, who constantly makes me feel that I need to learn. Then there are coaches like Klopp, who give you a very competitive vision of football, a winning mentality; and new ideas about football like De Zerbi at Brighton, and Potter as well… I saw how the process evolved at Brighton. They had a coach who was completely different to their last one, Chris Hughton, and a very offensive team who played a direct style. Nothing like today’s team. The Premier League is becoming more European. The best coaches come here.

You speak very highly of Guardiola, how do you see City getting on against Madrid in the Champions League?
City have found excellence in their game and the results they’ve been getting have been quite striking. It’s a game that you really have to be at the stadium to watch, to feel it. After I left Arsenal, I was at the semi-final between City and Madrid. City dominated and Madrid won. That’s an example of what these two teams are like.

Do Real Madrid present the ultimate exam for any club wanting to conquer Europe?
The relationship which Madrid has with the Champions League is incredible. You have to admire what they did in last season’s tournament. I always defend the Spanish league and I identify with Madrid’s successes, as I did with Barça’s in other years. Those successes open the door and show the way to all of us who are part of Spanish football. I feel a small part of Madrid’s successes as though they are my own, it’s our success. It’s the same whenever the national team is successful or a Spanish club, whether it’s Madrid or Sevilla in the Europa League.

On the subject of Sevilla, there’s another team who is going from strength to strength...
When I first arrived at Sevilla, Del Nido said to me: “Have you won a trophy? Because you are going to find out what it’s like to win them here…”. And that’s exactly what happened. I realised then what Sevilla was about. I understood the sentimental part of football. I will always consider Real Sociedad as my club because that’s where I started out and also a little part of me is with Real Unión because it’s part of my family; and after that, the other half of my heart is divided between all of the clubs where I have been because they gave me the feeling that I belonged. Football is for the fans, not the owners. People want to feel a part of it. Fans don’t want financial gains or profits, they want to live special times with their team.

Edited April 28, 2023 by His Name Is Death

[TRO]

20 hours ago, blandy said:

I agree they are important, but for me, as I said they are not the key things. In terms of top flight football they will make a difference if they are absent in one side in a game, as will stuff like jitters about a ‘keeper. But the thing is that every side’s players, by dint of the fact they’ve reached premier league level, has fight and desire within them as individuals and as a team. The bottom side can beat the top side (or draw 3-3 away to them, as happened last week). Much much more influential on the outcomes of games are things which Emery brings in abundance to all the sides he’s managed, pretty much and that’s the tactical side of things, the little details as well as the “system”. It’s how to react and how to counter opponents moves and strategies, it’s about players being in the right positions to do the things that need to be done at any point in the game.

Football at the top level has changed massively and coaching, which Emery, Guardiola, Klopp and the rest are experts at is far more of a factor in determining outcomes than it used to be. In some ways “fight” is counterproductive, by that I mean if you take a struggling side they are usually absolutely desperate and full of fight to beat the drop, but put them up a more relaxed higher side, more in control of their plan, more confident in their manager and team mates and the fight and desire counts for much less than the tactical superiority and feel good factor of the opponents. That’s what I see Emery as having brought to Villa. For example Olly Watkins has always put in a hard shift, fought for the ball chase lost causes, shown the requisite desire, but Emery and his staff have improved him through focusing on doing some of that less, instead concentrating on tactically being where he needs to be to pose the bigger threat to the oppo.

I don't see it quite the same as you Pete.....But I do agree with the elements you bang the drum for.

It seems from my interpretation of what you are saying, you are islolating elements like " Fight and desire" and judging them on their own.....its like judging Ringo and George without Lennon and McCartney.

Yes, Ollie is having more success, playing in the middle and that has been a technical shift, but he still needs "Fight and desire" in his new role.....without it he will be rendered passive, and the goals will dry up.

I agree such elements without the other essential ingredients you mention are questionable.....but success in football, requires a compendium of minerals to work successfully.....its like analysing the body and saying what is the key organs, they all are.

I know from the past, your view has rarely been partisan towards the intangible elements as we are discussing, but they are key, along with the ones you readily support.....fortunately for me, UE has got it back for us.

I guess, we agree to partially disagree.

Edited April 28, 2023 by TRO

[TRO]

17 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

I dont want to upload it as i keep getting warnings for not uploading things correctly so im not uploading thinks anymore but it was from some barce page.

Hopefully its BS

maybe wishful thinking on their behalf.

[The_Rev]

35 minutes ago, gwi1890 said:

Source?

 

He did an interview this week with AS, a Spanish Sports newspaper.  

 

The specific quote is from here.  I'm guessing the interview was conducted in Spanish but there's an English translation on As.com so if they are happy to publish then I'm happy to accept it: 

 

Quote

AS: Can you understand why people were outraged that you left Villarreal, the Champions League semi-finalists, for Aston Villa, and Álex Moreno left Betis to join you in the January window?

UE: It’s really quite natural. All of us need to go in search of challenges at some time or another. I have been fortunate enough to have been at three top level clubs in Spain: Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal. Obviously, I am very grateful for that, but then the next step in Spain would be to coach Atlético, Madrid or Barça… But breaking through that barrier comes with a lot of difficulties. The Premier League has given me the chance to continue growing. Of course, Sevilla, Villarreal and Valencia did that too, but here, I am confronted with new difficulties. And let’s not forget that the Premier League attracts the highest number of investors, the best managers and players in the world

 

 

The interview is well worth reading.  It's clear that Villa aren't as known to a Spanish audience as other clubs, I get the impression we are one of those sides that a lot of people have heard of but not many have really dug deeper recently.  

There's a throwaway line about coaching too which was interesting. I didn't know that Emery had come up under John Toshack. That's not a bad influence have at all, is it? 

Edited April 28, 2023 by The_Rev

[TRO]

19 hours ago, bose said:

They are crucial but incredibly basic things in todays game. The other things like tactical understanding, man management, planning, knowing when to change things etc are much more important because you won’t win a match in the premier league today with just more aggression, passion or desire. It’s why the likes of Gerrard and Lampard are horrific managers in todays game, they might have worked in the 80s but the world and the game has moved on.

I have never suggested "Aggression, desire, passion or desire, can wins games on their own. I am countering the point, that success can be achieved with out them.

i think the suggestion they can be seperated is folly.....I also think that to suggest tactical understanding of the game( if you are) is something new is also folly......are you suggesting that progressive managers over the years, were not creating new ways to steal a march on the opposition? read your history on Football....its littered with managers who were deep thinkers of the game...and the managers today are not oblivious to their teachings.

Many managers of the past like Rinus Michels, Vic Buckingham, Johan Cryff etc were tactical masters in their day......sure the game has changed, it always did, since its conception....The modern Managers like Pep, Jurgen and Unai, have learnt from these pioneers to formulate their own interpretations.....its progression.

Whilst the game has changed in so many ways, some things that the game relies on are still the same, and always will be....It might be worth remembering that.

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by TRO

[TRO]

I think there will be a lot of traps set from the gaslighting press towards Aston Villa, in forthcoming UE interviews.

They are all mardy, we are doing so well, and the shift is stark and pretty obvious whats made it that way.

The disrespect and downright cheek, suggesting other clubs come in for him, is probably what we should expect....thankfully we have tough, resourceful owners, with ambitions of our own, who will possibly remind those predators of how our valued manager, was treated in the past.

[SecretVillaScout]

If Real come in for him, He's gone.

[TRO]

1 minute ago, SecretVillaScout said:

If Real come in for him, He's gone.

Dean and Shaky are available.

[Don_Simon]

3 minutes ago, SecretVillaScout said:

If Real come in for him, He's gone.

If we're having our coach head-hunted by Real Madrid, we are doing very, very well!

[TRO]

23 minutes ago, The_Rev said:

 

He did an interview this week with AS, a Spanish Sports newspaper.  

 

The specific quote is from here.  I'm guessing the interview was conducted in Spanish but there's an English translation on As.com so if they are happy to publish then I'm happy to accept it: 

 

 

 

The interview is well worth reading.  It's clear that Villa aren't as known to a Spanish audience as other clubs, I get the impression we are one of those sides that a lot of people have heard of but not many have really dug deeper recently.  

There's a throwaway line about coaching too which was interesting. I didn't know that Emery had come up under John Toshack. That's not a bad influence have at all, is it? 

Aston Villa are a Spanish sounding name in terms of " Villa "....so my understanding is, they are quite well known in the hispanic community as a whole

However................We have been unsuccessful in Europe since Rotterdam, so the younger generation, Spanish supporters, disregard us, as obsolete.

We now have the shoots of recover, and under UE the task is, to re-invent ourselves.....That won't be a quick job, but consistency will help to build it.

[Jareth]

He doesn't strike me as a bloke in a hurry - I think he sees Villa as part of his learning curve toward the likes of Real - if he's consistently good enough they will come in for him more than once. 

[duke313]

4 minutes ago, Jareth said:

He doesn't strike me as a bloke in a hurry - I think he sees Villa as part of his learning curve toward the likes of Real - if he's consistently good enough they will come in for him more than once. 

By which point we will be in a considerably better position than we were when he took over.  We might even have a few Europa League's in the trophy cabinet by then 

[MWARLEY2]

He is mighty happy here and the only way he leaves is if a Madrid team or Barca come in for him. ... i will take that every time. 

Not a Chelsea or Spurs. Only the true giants of his home country. 

[gwi1890]

51 minutes ago, The_Rev said:

 

He did an interview this week with AS, a Spanish Sports newspaper.  

 

The specific quote is from here.  I'm guessing the interview was conducted in Spanish but there's an English translation on As.com so if they are happy to publish then I'm happy to accept it: 

 

 

 

The interview is well worth reading.  It's clear that Villa aren't as known to a Spanish audience as other clubs, I get the impression we are one of those sides that a lot of people have heard of but not many have really dug deeper recently.  

There's a throwaway line about coaching too which was interesting. I didn't know that Emery had come up under John Toshack. That's not a bad influence have at all, is it? 

His book El Maestro is well worth reading to

[duke313]

4 minutes ago, gwi1890 said:

His book El Maestro is well worth reading to

Request to change the name of this thread to El Maestro

[It's Your Round]

I know it’s natural for us Villa fans to expect everything to go wrong as soon as things are looking good, but I honestly can’t see Unai going anywhere yet. He’s barely got started, and will recognise the potential of Aston Villa and want to take us as far as he can. Maybe once he feels we’ve reached our peak he might look to move on, but he doesn’t strike me as someone who will bail out before giving it a proper chance. 

[TRO]

20 hours ago, bose said:

They are crucial but incredibly basic things in todays game. The other things like tactical understanding, man management, planning, knowing when to change things etc are much more important because you won’t win a match in the premier league today with just more aggression, passion or desire. It’s why the likes of Gerrard and Lampard are horrific managers in todays game, they might have worked in the 80s but the world and the game has moved on.

•                   Hard work will always overcome natural talent, when natural talent doesn't work hard enough.....Alex Ferguson quote.
•                 There are teams that wait for you and teams that look for you- Espanyol look for you...I feel very close to their style of football.......Pep Guardiola
•                  If you train badly, you play badly..If you work like a beast in training, you play the same way....Pep Guardiola.

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by TRO

[blandy]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

I don't see it quite the same as you Pete.....But I do agree with the elements you bang the drum for.

It seems from my interpretation of what you are saying, you are islolating elements like " Fight and desire" and judging them on their own...

 

I guess, we agree to partially disagree.

That's almost the opposite of what I'm trying to say, which is that all teams and players have fight and desire and that the thing that makes the difference in modern football is managerial nouse around tactics, coaching (individual and collective), the ability to adapt to the opponent's strengths and weaknesses and in game changes and so on. And that in the premier league, given the baseline qualities of the various players and squads the notion that "fight and desire" is the biggest, most important, key thing is not one I agree with at all. My perception is that the reason Emery has done so well is because he has the analytical and tactical qualities and experience which, ahem, certain other managers do not possess. Emery has been successful across multiple clubs because of his skills. The same applies to Guardiola, Klopp and so on.

[sharkyvilla]

2 minutes ago, blandy said:

That's almost the opposite of what I'm trying to say, which is that all teams and players have fight and desire and that the thing that makes the difference in modern football is managerial nouse around tactics, coaching (individual and collective), the ability to adapt to the opponent's strengths and weaknesses and in game changes and so on. And that in the premier league, given the baseline qualities of the various players and squads the notion that "fight and desire" is the biggest, most important, key thing is not one I agree with at all. My perception is that the reason Emery has done so well is because he has the analytical and tactical qualities and experience which, ahem, certain other managers do not possess. Emery has been successful across multiple clubs because of his skills. The same applies to Guardiola, Klopp and so on.

I fear you may be wasting your time.