'From black and white football to full colour' - Emery's three years at Villa

On 6 November 2022 a packed location astatine Villa Park exploded pinch joyousness arsenic Aston Villa hit Manchester United connected location ungraded for nan first clip since 1995.

A dream debut for caller caput coach Unai Emery, little than a week aft nan activity licence hurdles that delayed his assignment had yet been cleared.

There had been fleeting moments of joyousness successful nan past but, for galore years, ne'er thing for illustration this. It felt for illustration that nan nine had yet surgery done into nan ray aft years of gloom.

In nan dressing room aft nan lucifer nan temper was electrical pinch handshakes, hugs, singing, dancing and nan emotion that thing caller had begun - that nan sleeping elephantine that is Aston Villa had yet been roused from its slumber.

But, amidst nan hysteria and nan celebrations, Emery and his squad were much measured, and Unai's nonsubjective study of nan triumph was clear.

And he was not happy. Villa had won, but connected nan players' terms. It had been an end-to-end affair, chaotic and uncontrolled. This wasn't nan shot that Unai had envisioned.

In that 1 infinitesimal he knew that nan non-stop, frantic, 100mph shot that nan fans demanded was nan polar other of nan controlled, patient, measured, deliberate, dominating crippled that he wanted to put successful spot astatine nan club.

All Unai and his squad had to do was seduce everyone astatine nan nine - players, owners, directors, fans - that his was nan roadworthy nan nine had to take. And if they did not want it, he would move on. Three years on, he is still there.

It was ne'er going to beryllium an easy task. Emery arrived astatine Villa pinch nan nine 16th successful nan Premier League, only a constituent supra nan relegation places.

But Emery is nary alien to dealing pinch adversity. A superior knee wounded sustained astatine Lorca Deportiva brought an extremity to his, little than memorable, playing profession successful 2004. He could person been a amended subordinate but he played pinch "fear", a herbicide that stops athletes growing.

Lorca instantly kick-started his managerial profession and he repaid them by winning promotion astatine nan first clip of asking. In his adjacent occupation astatine Almeria he took nan Andalusian nine into nan apical formation for nan first clip successful their history and then, while still successful his precocious thirties, took an ever-demanding and financially constrained Valencia into nan Champions League 3 seasons successful a row.

Three Europa League titles connected nan bounce pinch Sevilla followed an ill-advised six-month stopover astatine Spartak Moscow. But 2 seasons and 7 trophies astatine PSG, wherever his squad established points and goalscoring records that stay to this day, put Emery's profession backmost connected track.

It was only ever going to beryllium a matter of clip earlier nan Premier League came calling and, astatine first sight, Arsenal and Emery looked for illustration a matrimony made successful heaven. It wasn't.

He was sacked successful nan autumn of 2019 aft a winless tally of 7 games.

Salvation and nan chance of redemption came successful nan style of Villarreal, wherever nan chemistry betwixt Unai, nine proprietor Fernando Roig and his boy Fernando Jnr - who runs nan time to this time - produced instant results.

The club's triumph complete Manchester United successful nan last of nan 2020-21 Europa League delivered Unai's 4th - and Villarreal's first - awesome trophy win.

It was months aft that triumph that Emery received notice, pursuing nan Saudi takeover of Newcastle, that nan nine wanted him arsenic their replacement for nan precocious sacked Steve Bruce.

Irritated by their deficiency of clarity, he told an supplier that had told him of Newcastle's interest: "Tell them to telephone maine straight and not hit astir nan bush."

The connection sewage done and soon afterwards he was contacted by Amanda Staveley, representing nan club's owners.

The pursuing time he received confirmation that they wanted him to beryllium their caller boss.

Unai was surely willing successful Newcastle's connection but nary statement aliases statement specifications had moreover been discussed, truthful he was understandably upset erstwhile he was questioned astir nan move minutes aft his Villarreal broadside had beaten Young Boys successful a group-stage Champions League game.

What particularly rankled was erstwhile he heard that nan English media had published stories that nan woody was efficaciously done and dusted, claiming he would beryllium travelling to England aft nan crippled to return training arsenic early arsenic nan Friday.

Newcastle had underestimated Unai's committedness to Villarreal and overestimated their ain value arsenic a club. If he had been uncertain astir what to do, nan leak and its fallout helped explain his adjacent step.

Unai would - astatine slightest for nan clip being - stay astatine Villarreal. He still had a constituent to beryllium there. He called Villarreal proprietor Roig and told him "I americium staying, 100%. Zero doubts".

What followed was a tally successful nan Champions League that took nan nine each nan measurement to nan semi-finals, pinch victories complete nan likes of Juventus and Bayern Munich earlier their eventual elimination by Liverpool.

Reputation good and genuinely restored.

Dismissal astatine Arsenal had near a bitter sensation successful nan mouth, but besides nan overwhelming emotion that he still had unfinished business successful nan Premier League.

If Unai learned 1 point from his clip successful northbound London, it was astir nan request of a top-flight head to person a protective circle of loyal colleagues astir him - group that understand him deeply, expect his needs and clear nan way for him.

When a gathering was organised astatine Jorge Mendes' Madrid location pinch Nassef Sawiris, 1 of nan Villa owners, Unai's first telephone was to 1 of his closest confidantes, Damian Vidagany.

At nan meeting, some Unai and Damian stressed really often nan quality betwixt occurrence and nonaccomplishment often came down to 1 point - time.

Nasser wasn't location to connection a job. Nor a project. He wanted Unai to creation one.

Unai was impressed. When things sewage moreover worse astatine Aston Villa, nan nine agreed to salary Villarreal his merchandise clause of astir £5.3m. On 24 October 2022 Villarreal announced Unai's departure and Villa confirmed him arsenic their caller manager.

Before doing thing other he asked Damian to subordinate him successful this latest adventure.

Unai envisioned a building which contained those group who understood his imagination and could thief him execute it. Unai knew that Damian and his chosen group could respire life into nan atmosphere. Without that information nan task would flounder earlier it had moreover begun.

Without moreover knowing immoderate of nan specifications - magnitude of contract, role, net etc - Damian accepted without hesitation. He would thief Unai build a project, awaken nan giant.

In nan gym, flanked by nan 10 assistants he had brought pinch him to nan club, he met his squad for nan first time. First impressions are not everything although, arsenic a erstwhile player, he did not underestimate their importance.

Hoping supra dream that his English would clasp steady, he announced: "I'm not happy. I'm sad because a workfellow of mine, Steven Gerrard, has been sacked.

"He was not nan only 1 responsible for what went incorrect here. You are responsible. You and everyone successful nan club. We cannot ever put nan blasted connected nan coach.

"And thing else. I didn't travel present to discarded my time. I've travel present to triumph things."

Training often revealed habits ingrained successful nan squad's style. Players would sprout erstwhile it wasn't nan champion option, crosses were delivered aimlessly without assessing whether a guardant was successful nan correct position. A cross, Unai would often insist, was a walk and not a hopeful punt.

For some, leaving their comfortableness area was disorientating - for others terrifying. Gradually nan penny dropped. Unai pinch his 24/7 approach, his willingness to rotation up his sleeves and get connected pinch his task, wasn't conscionable tweaking tactics, he was changing nan measurement they thought astir football.

Senior players for illustration Emi Martinez, Ollie Watkins, John McGinn and Lucas Digne embraced nan change. Their enthusiasm became contagious.

"We've gone from achromatic and achromatic shot to afloat colour," was a connection heard successful nan first-team canteen.