Aston Villa head to Amsterdam this evening to face Ajax in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League round of 16 clash.
The fixtures mark the start of a crucial couple of days for Unai Emery’s side with a monumental clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
Come Sunday evening, we could learn a lot more about which direction Villa’s season is heading.
Ahead of the fixture, the Villa boss sat down with TNT Sports to discuss some tactical ideas he’s been trying to implement at Villa Park.
John McGinn has been the subject of many tactical alterations under Emery, and the Spaniard insists that the Scot is a dream to manage.
Unai Emery praises John McGinn Aston Villa influence
Talking to TNT Sports, Emery was full of praise for his “amazing” captain.
“John McGinn is amazing as a person; he feels a passion for football,” he said.
“For me, it’s easy to manage a player, John McGinn. He’s always available. He’s always very competitive. Sometimes he’s not playing, but in the dressing room, he’s very important. How he’s being with his teammates. Being positive, demanding, and looking to work. That’s the spirit I want.”
McGinn has been an ever-present during the 2023/24 season, starting all 27 Premier League matches.
Six goals and three assists have followed for the 29-year-old, operating in various positions across the midfield.
The Scot has to be considered amongst the best midfielders in the Premier League this season. It’s hard to think of a more versatile player.
Talking after Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over Fulham, journalist John Townley felt McGinn was unplayable.
“There’s no player that I’d rather have on that pitch than John McGinn in that last 10 minutes of the game. He was everywhere; he was like a man possessed trying to win the ball back, just putting his body on the line,” he told the Claret & Blue podcast.
“He was an example of what we have to do for the rest of the season basically.”
