Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has accomplished so much in a short time at the Premier League’s fastest-rising club that you almost wonder why he hasn’t been getting more “best manager in the world” shouts alongside the likes of Hansi Flick, Pep Guardiola, and Carlo Ancelotti.
Obviously, Emery doesn’t have the Champions League pedigree of those three managers and isn’t flying as high as Flick at Barcelona this season, but his Lions are headed for another top four finish in the Premier League after their once improbable UCL qualification last season.
Emery has taken Aston Villa from the middle of the pack to the elite in England, and the serial Europa League winner in Spanish football has become a much better league manager in his second stint in the Premiership.
So much of Emery’s success comes down to him pushing himself and working harder than anyone else. He truly lives and breathes this sport, and if there were any doubts about how much he loves Aston Villa, he clearly answered them in 2024 by rejecting offers from so-called “bigger” clubs.
Veteran Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague had a great anecdote about Unai Emery when speaking on BBC Sport’s Match of the Day, praising the former Arsenal manager effusively for his work ethic.
Balague said that Emery spends 70-90 minutes in meetings with players, and he spends eight hours on three occasions per week making videos of himself to help his players improve.
His thoroughness, attention to detail, and care for his players are unmatched, and that’s why Aston Villa are achieving bigger things and rising higher than any other club in England.
Seriously, Emery deserves so much credit, especially since he used to be treated like a laughingstock when he first moved to the Premier League. Right now, nobody in the league is coaching at a higher level than him, and he is working his tail off for this club.
