Unai Emery is a genius, but every Aston Villa knew that already.
The job he has done at Aston Villa is remarkable, from taking the team to the Champions League to how he has improved individual players.
John McGinn is the man with the captain’s armband and when Steven Gerrard was in charge, his form and confidence was out of the window.
Then Emery arrived and transformed everything, with players left, right and centre waxing lyrical about his coaching.
Aston Villa beat Wycombe in the League Cup on Tuesday night and it was a record-breaking victory for the man in the dugout.
Emery became the fastest Villa manager to reach 50 wins (90 games) and now goes into the club’s folklore.
Paul McGinn, the older brother of John, who is also the captain of Motherwell, shared that he has been told that Emery is ‘unbelievable’.
What stands out about the team straight away is the style of play and that fearless high line that the backline deploys, regardless of who they play.
McGinn’s older brother added that he has been told that Emery ‘gives them loads of days off’ but that’s in preparation for the amount of work he puts them through when they are at the training ground, as he told Open Goal.
It was also revealed how Emery has worked ‘a lot more on body shape’ and things you ‘never thought of’ previously.
Unai Emery’s coaching at Aston Villa
“They play that mad high line (that’s why any Aston Villa game is good to watch),” said Paul McGinn.
“Aye, he (John) said he (Emery) is unbelievable. It’s the detail again, sort of thing. A lot more on body shape and stuff. Stuff that you never thought of. I think it’s just the whole lot.
“But he says he gives them loads of days off, but when they are in, it’s like long videos and stuff like that. He just knows it’s Sunday-Thursday-Sunday. It’s just constant, so he is dead generous and he sticks to whatever days off. That day you are in or a day before a game, it’s long. It’s working, isn’t it?!”
Aston Villa in the Champions League
It has been decades since Villa have been in Europe’s elite competition and now fans are enjoying themselves more than ever before.
It’s fitting that Villa face Bayern Munich for their opening Champions League home match, but it’s a shame the skipper won’t be leading the team out.
McGinn picked up a hamstring injury against Wolves and he isn’t expected back until after the international break now.
