Gareth Barry ‘surprised’ by what he’s seen Unai Emery do at Aston Villa
Unai Emery has had to navigate his way through some choppy waters at Aston Villa in the past few months.
Aston Villa narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification via their Premier League placing last season, having dined at Europe’s top table last term.
Villa consequently had to navigate the transfer market in the constraints of PSR issues, with Jacob Ramsey sold to Newcastle United and Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio not retained after respective loans from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
A difficult start to the campaign saw Villa fail to win any of their opening six games in all competitions but a 1-0 Europa League win over Bologna sparked a run of five straight victories.
Villa’s 2-1 loss at the Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League on Thursday ended that streak to bring a bit of a reality bite to Villa Park.
Gareth Barry reacts to what Unai Emery’s done after three-year Aston Villa anniversary
Despite that setback, Villa host Manchester City on Sunday knowing that victory in a tough encounter could shoot them right up the standings in the Premier League, while they are still well positioned in 10th in the Europa League table.
Former Villa and England midfielder Gareth Barry was speaking to the Sun on Sunday about Emery‘s time at the club, which has now stretched to the three-year mark.
Barry concedes he has been surprised by the way Emery has been able to transform Villa to regular European contenders after arriving at a time the club were struggling following a disappointing spell under former boss Steven Gerrard.
Barry said: “Unai had a reputation of doing well with Sevilla when he joined. And there was some pressure when he arrived after what happened at Arsenal. That was always going to be a difficult gig following Arsene Wenger. So people were asking ‘can he do it in the Premier League?’.
“Sitting here today, three years later, I’m still surprised at the transformation that’s taken place. First he brought European football back, then he qualified for the Champions League. They were fantastic journeys, but what he’s done this summer shows the sign of a great manager.”
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What has Unai Emery said about his three-year anniversary at Aston Villa?
Emery has proven to be an excellent appointment by the Villa hierarchy over the past three seasons and fans have been treated to regular European football.
If there was any trepidation at the time over his arrival, those fears have been well and truly eradicated now and he is revered as a master tactician in the Premier League.
- Villa were only three points above the relegation zone when Emery was hired but finished seventh.
- In his first full campaign, they placed fourth and qualified for the Champions League.
- They narrowly missed out last term, finishing sixth after a last-day defeat to Manchester United.
Speaking about his time at the club, Emery spoke about what objectives he still wants to achieve at Villa Park in the coming years.
Addressing the media prior to the City game, he said: “I am a better coach than I was three years ago and I’m thankful to the players for helping me improve. But there is still work to do and objectives to achieve. One of them is some titles – the Premier League, the cups in England and silverware in Europe, these are all targets for us.”