Nigel Reo-Coker praises start of Unai Emery at Aston Villa with instant impact
Ex-Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker has lavished praise on Unai Emery’s instant impact at the club before their trip to Brighton on Sunday 13th November.
The Spanish manager, who was brought into Villa Park after the sacking of Steven Gerrard, won fans over with a convincing 3-1 victory against Manchester United in the league last weekend.
And although his side fell to a 4-2 defeat in a highly entertaining Carabao Cup encounter against the same opponents, Emery will be confident of picking up a result on the south coast before the World Cup winter break.
Speaking on Radio 5 Live’s The Friday Football Social show, Reo-Coker waxed lyrical about the manager’s first couple of weeks in the Villa dugout.
He said: “When I watched the organisation of the back four, it’s basically Villarreal.
“I saw some pictures from the training ground, a drill where the manager carries the ball and he wants the whole team to adjust and move in relation to where the ball is.
“You could see every time Man United passed the ball sideways or backwards he wants his back four working hard, stepping up, not just sitting there and being comfortable.
“From what I can see so early on is that the foundation is there, the organisation is there by the players, and the understanding of what is needed is clear to see.”
Clear Gameplan
For much of Steven Gerrard’s reign as manager, he was heavily criticised for not having a clear style of play as he chopped and changed formations on a weekly basis.
Unai Emery on the other hand has a tried and tested managerial philosophy which has brought him great success at clubs huge clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla and most recently Villarreal.
A 4-4-2 formation on the ball with two split strikers and two advanced midfielders has been clear to see in Emery’s opening weeks and that should lend itself to a number of VIlla’s current players including both Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins, who ran riot at Villa Park last week.
Reo-Coker is correct in saying he saw a more organised side – albeit when conceding four goals – as individual lapses in concentration were largely to blame for the late goals.
If Emery is to continue with his high-risk-high-reward tactic of playing out from the back, he may need to alter his personnel to match his needs, with Robin Olsen and Calum Chambers clearly not entirely comfortable playing in such a manner.
In other news, a pundit has labelled Aston Villa as the ‘most underperforming’ team in the Premier League