Although things are now looking very rosy under Unai Emery’s stewardship at Aston Villa, that wasn’t the case at the time of his appointment in 2022.
Aston Villa were sleepwalking towards the relegation places under Steven Gerrard, who they sacked following their 3-0 defeat to Fulham in October 2022.
Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens quickly found a replacement for the Englishman by hiring former Arsenal manager Unai Emery.
The Spaniard arrived with an excellent track record of delivering success in Europe, including four Europa League winners medals at Sevilla and Villarreal but he was often criticised while managing the Gunners.
Emery’s major problem at the Emirates was recruitment while not being able to instil his attacking philosophy eventually cost him his job in November 2019.
The 51-year-old had previously shown what he was capable of abroad and he was sold by the project at Villa Park, who placed their faith in him to turn it around.
Jamie Carragher believed Unai Emery would succeed at Aston Villa
Upon his appointment two years ago, most Villa fans were happy with who they chose to succeed Gerrard, and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was equally excited.
Carragher touched on the prior success he had with clubs challenging just below Europe’s elite and was confident he could replicate a similar blueprint in Birmingham.
Explaining why he thought Emery would be a great appointment in October 2022, Carragher said, as per Sky Sports: “I think it would be a fantastic appointment.
“I’m a huge fan of Unai Emery. He’s had a lot of success with teams just below the elite, almost fighting against the biggest clubs.
“It didn’t go quite so well with him at Arsenal but if you look what he did at Villarreal – Europa League winners and you look at how far they pushed Liverpool in the Champions League.
“He was brilliant at Valencia, always getting them into the Champions League places.
“I don’t think he’s the type of manager for Barcelona and Real Madrid – and I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way – but for a Valencia and an Aston Villa and for clubs who are trying to compete against teams who have more money, he gets his teams really organised and he’s a super coach.
“Maybe not for the biggest names on the planet but, for Aston Villa right now, I think he’d be a great appointment.”
Emery has, of course, gone on to prove Carragher right with those comments by turning Aston Villa into a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League and Champions League.
Why Unai Emery is such a special manager
Emery has dragged Villa from the threat of relegation to the Champions League in just under two years.
Hardly anyone could have envisaged a massive turnaround, and that is a credit to the manager himself, who is arguably one of the best in the world.
That is because only a select few could have done the same thing Emery has done at Villa, transforming their fortunes on and off the pitch.
The world-class tactician has nailed his recruitment, developed an unbreakable bond with the supporters and perhaps most importantly, improved the fortunes of several stars who were at the club before him.
John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez and Ezri Konsa, for example, are all playing the best football of their careers and Emery is the key driving force behind their skyrocketing profiles.
