Ollie Watkins: Unai Emery delivered Aston Villa gameplan v Manchester United minutes before kick-off
Unai Emery masterminded Aston Villa to a 3-1 victory over Manchester United in his very first match as manager, but the players had just minutes to learn the gameplan.
Emery’s start to life at Aston Villa couldn’t have gone much better. In front of an excited Villa Park, he watched from the dugout as goals from Leon Bailey, Lucas Digne and Jacob Ramsey secured a 3-1 win over Manchester United.
The Spaniard had just four days to devise a game plan for the match after he took his first training session on 2 November, and Ollie Watkins has revealed that Emery’s secret tactics were only shared with the players minutes before kick-off.
“No-one had a clue who was playing,” said Watkins, as quoted by The Mirror. “It was a guessing game but everyone bought into it and we were all involved. We found out the team in our team meeting, which was at about 11.30.
“Some people leave it late, but normally, previous managers have done it the day before, or let you know in some way. But no matter what team he put out, it was going to be the same result at the end of the day.
“Everyone worked hard, was willing to work hard and bought into the game plan.”
Fast out the blocks
While every Villa fan was excited about Emery’s arrival, not many probably expected such a strong start to his time at the club.
He’s well-known for his tactical approach and strict coaching, but many expected it to take him weeks to properly implement his style to the squad.
That still rings true and Emery will need much more time to perfect his style, but Sunday’s victory showed already just how successful he can be against other top coaches.
While much of Steven Gerrard’s time at the club was trying to find a clear identity to play under, Emery already has shown glimpses of how he wants Aston Villa to play.
Things will only improve as Emery spends more and more time with the players on the training pitch, and the World Cup break is another ideal time for him to drill his ideas into the squad.
In other Aston Villa news, Neil Cutler gushes over Unai Emery tactics v Manchester United