With Unai Emery, Aston Villa has the chance to do something it has not done since 1996: lift a major trophy. Unai Emery is not just a good manager; he is a European specialist.
Emery has championed the Europa League four times. Emery dominated the Europa League from the 2013/14 season through the 2015/16 season. In those years, Emery led his Sevilla team to a remarkable three-peat. Emery later produced European magic again with his Villarreal side winning the Europa League for a fourth time. Emery has established himself as one of the most successful managers in European competition. Now, Emery has the chance to do it all again with Aston Villa. Villa has not played in the Europa League in over a decade. Now, the question is not if Emery can handle the pressure; it is whether Villa can follow his lead and have their best European nights.
A Proven Record in Europe
Emery’s legacy in the Europa League is undeniable. At Sevilla, he led the Spanish side to three consecutive Europa League trophies. His teams were not the most talented, but they were among the most tactically prepared and mentally tough.
Emery typically structures his team using a 4-2-3-1 formation, which shifts to a 4-4-2 attacking formation when transitioning from the defensive half. Emery’s teams found ways to neutralize stronger opposition and impose their will in key moments with players like Carlos Bacca and Daniel Carriço. These players were also elevated under Emery, and regardless of how their domestic form looked, Europe was their playground.
Fast forward to the 2020/21 season, after a few years of Arsenal misery, Emery did it again. This time, he pulled it off with Villarreal. Emery and his team defeated Arsenal in the semifinals and then Manchester United in the final. Despite being the underdogs in both ties, Emery’s tactical masterclasses and clutch finishing told the story of a manager who thrives on the details. That title made it four for Emery - more than any other manager in the competition’s history.
Why Villa Are a Perfect Fit for a Deep Run
This Aston Villa side is one of the most exciting the Villa faithful have seen in years. With a blend of attacking quality, tactical flexibility, and depth, they are uniquely equipped to take the Europa League seriously.
The core of this Villa side, Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez, John McGinn, and Tyrone Mings, is complemented by European experience in players like Youri Tielemans and Lucas Gigne. Tactically, Villa already shows signs of a classic Emery side. They are organized out of possession, lethal in transition, and increasingly comfortable in various setups. In big matches, especially at Villa Park, they demonstrate their ability to control games through patient build-up or strike quickly on the counter.
Most importantly, Emery has them believing.
A trophy and legacy in the making
Given the strength of the Premier League and the uphill battle to crack into the top five again, the Europa League may represent Villa’s clearest path to a trophy and a Champions League place. This task will not be easy; many teams fail. But with Emery at the helm, no team will want to play Aston Villa. He has done it with less. Villareal’s title came against the odds. Now, at Villa, with a fanbase starving for silverware, a well-structured squad, and a manager who knows every inch of the terrain, the stars could be starting to align for Aston Villa.
For Aston Villa, lifting a European trophy would mark the club’s biggest moment since winning the 1982 European Cup. For Emery, it would only strengthen his outstanding European resume and cement him as one of this generation’s best and somehow underrated managers. But more than anything, this season for Villa represents a unique opportunity for them to cement themselves among Europe’s elite.
After years of building, near misses, broken promises, Villa are finally back. If history is any indicator, Unai Emery is not just back; he is here to win.