On his first Monday morning at work in his new office, Unai Emery, freshly appointed Aston Villa manager, had the television on in the background. It was showing the draws for February’s knockout rounds in various European competitions. By all accounts Emery barely gave them a glance.
In that sense, Emery finds himself in very unfamiliar territory. As he likes to point out, for the past 14 years of his coaching career, Emery has been an ever-present on touchlines in Uefa competitions, be it the old Uefa Cup, the very new Europa Conference League, the Europa League he has won four times, or the Champions League, where he was a semi-finalist as recently as May. Aston Villa, unlike most of his former employers, have not been in any of that sort of company for more than a decade.
But this being Emery, a positive thinker for whom the glass is never half empty but half full, a 15th successive year with cross-border adventures is very much a personal aspiration.
The Spaniard, who left Villarreal earlier this month with little hesitation once Villa had offered him the chance to replace the sacked Steven Gerrard, has been quietly reminding compatriots whose memories do not reach back to the early 1980s, that Villa have actually won the European Cup. He hardly expects to be leading them to that sort of summit again, but he believes some form of European football in 2023-24 is achievable.
He notes that is a prize available for the winners of the League Cup, who, assuming they have not earned access to Champions League or Europa League via their league position of an FA Cup triumph, will go into the play-off round for next season’s Conference League.
That will be in the back of Emery’s mind at Old Trafford on Thursday when he takes charge of his first away game with Villa, against Manchester United in the League Cup’s third round.
At the front of his mind? Sunday’s victory over United in the Premier League, a statement first game for a manager who had just returned to English football three years after being sacked by Arsenal.
The ups and downs of that chapter of his career meant his appointment at Villa was greeted with a little scepticism. Within 11 minutes, many doubts had been crushed.
Villa’s rush to a 2-0 lead over United proved again that Emery is master of the quick ambush – his Villarreal scored after three minutes of the home leg of their Champions League semi against Liverpool last season – and that he will expect Villa to raise their horizons and cast aside any ancient phobias: The 3-1 win over United was the club’s first league victory at Villa Park against those opponents for 27 years.
The line-ups will be significantly altered for tonight’s immediate reunion, because it is a tie in England’s secondary cup, some senior players need resting, junior ones given opportunities.
But Emery wants his stunning debut on Villa’s bench to launch a momentum, and to put to use his fabled expertise in knockout football, a skill that has taken his teams to five Europa League finals – a losing one with Arsenal; three victorious ones with Sevilla – and, during his two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, a quartet of French domestic Cup triumphs.
Aston Villa 3 Manchester United 1: player ratings
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ASTON VILLA RATINGS: Emiliano Martinez – 7 The skipper indulged in some ball juggling early on and was booked for time wasting late on, but did the basics of his job well, making fine stops from Ronaldo and Garnacho, then blocking Elanga’s header after the break. Blameless for Shaw’s deflected effort. AFP -
Matty Cash – 7 Dealt comfortably with Garnacho early on and felt confident enough to try a 30-yarder inside 15 minutes. Was increasingly tested by the young Argentinian as the game wore on but proved up to the challenge. Getty -
Ezri Konsa – 7 Sharp and aggressive to stamp his authority on United’s attack from the opening exchanges onwards. Gave Ronaldo nothing to work with and provided Martinez with a strong defensive shield. Getty -
Tyrone Mings – 8 Started well and imposed himself on the action in the early exchanges. Dealt with any aerial questions posed of him, including one vital touch before Ronaldo could head in and another to stop Rashford going through. Booked for felling Ronaldo on the edge of the Villa box. Getty -
Lucas Digne – 8 Came back into Emery’s first starting XI and marked the recall with a fine free-kick to double Villa’s early lead. Afforded plenty of room whenever he opted to go forward and was given zero trouble defensively by an out-of-sorts Rashford. AP -
Jacob Ramsey – 9 Restored to the starting lineup by Emery and took just six minutes to register a measured assist for Bailey. Unfortunate own-goal when Shaw’s rasper hit his back and looped past Martinez, but soon atoned with a brilliant finish for Villa’s third. Troubled United all afternoon. Reuters -
Leander Dendoncker – 8 Brought the physicality which allowed Villa to boss midfield. Halted a handful of turnovers and lent admirable defensive support. Headlines will go elsewhere, but the Belgian was quietly dominant. AP -
Douglas Luiz – 7 Passing radar proved patchy at times but was his customarily effective self in terms of limiting the influence of United’s midfield creators. Read the game well and was invariably in the right place at the right time. Action Images -
Emiliano Buendia – 9 Buzzed about the visitors throughout, never giving any of the United defenders time in possession. Curled a right-footer just past the top corner but his industry was emblematic of Villa’s approach. Superb. PA -
Leon Bailey – 8 Warned United early on by troubling both Martinez and Shaw, and capped that with a clinically-taken opener. Delighted the home fans with his tricky, fearless approach. Booked for halting a Shaw surge just before half-time. Quieter second half but the damage was long done. AP -
Ollie Watkins – 9 Preferred to lead the line ahead of Danny Ings and quickly played his part with a starring role in Villa’s first and third goals. Terrorised Lindelof. An energetic, selfless and intelligent outlet, providing a textbook outing for a lone striker. Getty -
SUBS: John McGinn (Leon Bailey, 70) – 6 Entered the fray when Bailey failed to recover from clashing with Martinez. Kept things simple and tidy as Villa ran down the clock. Reuters -
Danny Ings (Buendia, 79) – 6 Given little time but put in important hard yards as Villa looked to see out the final minutes. Boubacar Kamara (Ollie Watkins, 78) – 7 Timely return from injury for the midfielder. AP -
Ashley Young (Lucas Digne, 79) – 7 Provided alert defensive reinforcements as Villa pre-empted United’s late pressure and saw out the win in comfort. PA -
Morgan Sanson (Leander Dendoncker, 90) – N/A Afforded a great reception on his return, but had no time to impact proceedings. PA -
MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea - 5 The ball was in his net after seven minutes and again after 10 minutes after an awful start for United. Little chance of getting across to it. Bailey was his biggest tormentor but he almost gifted Ings a goal on 80. Poor after six clean sheets in seven. AFP -
Diogo Dalot - 5 Overhit crosses in late first half push. Should have shot but instead chose to cut the ball back – the wrong cut back when United had a 73rd minute attack. Getty -
Lisandro Martinez - 5 Chased Bailey down but couldn’t get close to enough as Villa went ahead. Took a poor touch which put Shaw in trouble two minutes later. Headed the ball to a Villa player in the build up to their third. Incredible pass for Elanga on 67. Reuters -
Victor Lindelof - 4 Given a man marking job to follow the Villa strikers, which meant the other defenders and midfielders had to drop and cover. None did before Villa’s first, but the Swede was poor. PA -
Luke Shaw - 5 Booked after 9 as United started with a struggle. Gave the free kick up which Digne scored from. Fortuitous as his 45th minute shot was deflected in. Brought off. PA -
Casemiro - 6 Steady overall but left a hole behind him which Villa exploited for their opening goal. Strong tackle on Buendia after 22 but bad day at the office for the Brazilian. PA -
Christian Eriksen - 5 His balls started to find their range but too little in a mediocre performance. Reuters -
Marcus Rashford - 5 Silly fouls late on looked desperate. Ineffective on the right and the same on the left when Elanga came on. PA -
Alejandro Garnacho - 6 Preferred to Elanga who had done so well at Villa last season and skilfully had a shot on target on 33. Tried to beat Cash on several occasions but showed him too much of the ball. Getty -
Donny van de Beek - 3 Did little in his first United league start for almost two years. A weak header before United’s goal wasn’t cleared and finally fell to Shaw who shot. Looks short of confidence and match fitness and can’t get into the few games in which he’s selected. Getty -
Cristiano Ronaldo - 5 Captain for the day but unable to lift his team. A very good chance to pull a goal back but his header was too close to Martinez. Booked for a tangle with Mings after an hour but another game without a goal. Getty -
SUBS: Tyrell Malacia - 5 On for Shaw after 65 in a triple substitution. Little impact. Getty -
Anthony Elanga - 5 On for Garnacho after 65 and was about to touch the ball when Villa goalkeeper Martinez smashed into him. So impressive in the equivalent game last season. Not this. Getty -
Anthony Martial - 5 On for Van de Beek after 65 in his first league minutes for a month. A fit and firing Martial could be important for a United side lacking goals and still on a minus goal difference. Getty
His fourth, and most recent, Europa League success came at United’s expense, mid-budget Villarreal beating big-spending United via a marathon penalty shoot-out in Gdansk 18 months ago.
United would then beat Villarreal twice in the group stage of the following Champions League, but both clubs progressed. Emery’s overall record, in encounters with United while in charge of Valencia, Arsenal, Villarreal and now Villa is respectable: Three wins and four defeats in 10 matches.
He told the Spanish newspaper Marca this week he feels he can “build up Villa to return to Europe” while indicating he expects to be given funds to strengthen a squad that sit 13th in the Premier League. Sunday’s brilliant start was encouraging, but he will not be getting carried away. “On day one, everyone respects you,” he said, “by your 100th day in charge, the percentage who do varies. You have to earn respect every single day.”
He is quickly appreciating the size of the constituency whose respect he wants to gain. He was plainly buoyed by the weekend’s atmosphere at Villa Park, and struck by the obvious distinctions between Villarreal, the Spanish club from a town of barely 50,000, and Villa, the Premier League’s sole club from Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city.
“The sense of belonging in the Premier League is deep,” he said. “You sense how many fans identify with their club every day. It’s what makes the big investors focus on the Premier League. I’ve been given a big responsibility, and that’s what I want.”
