Aston Villa manager Unai Emery’s quality has become increasingly apparent over the past week. Emery led Aston Villa to a victory over Manchester United last weekend, ranking third in the Premier League standings with 36 points from 17 games. They have now won 10 consecutive league games, which is an amazing record.

The fact that Aston Villa are in contention for the Premier League title midway through the season highlights Emery’s quality as a manager. The 54-year-old Spaniard has proven his worth as a coach many times in the past.

The qualities of Aston Villa manager Unai Emery

Unai Emery’s quality as a manager is evident from his impressive resume. He won three Europa League titles with Sevilla and one Europa League title with Villarreal. He also led Arsenal to another Europa League final, where they lost.

In addition, he also won the Ligue 1 championship with Paris Saint-Germain. He also helped Aston Villa qualify for the Champions League. This season, he looks set to compete for the Premier League title against the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal.

Emery is a strict taskmaster whose attention to detail is first-class, as is the case with almost every top manager. The Aston Villa manager has significantly improved the quality of players such as Morgan Rodgers, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Matty Cash.

You may also like: Fantasy Football Game Week 18: Buys, Sells, Injury Reports

Aston Villa doesn’t have the budget of Manchester City or Arsenal

Emery coached Arsenal before Mikel Arteta joined the Gunners in 2019. Emery’s tenure at the north London club was not very successful, but he has since reinvented himself as a coach. After leaving Arsenal, he won the Europa League with Villarreal before enjoying huge success at Aston Villa, a side that has struggled to remain Premier League title contenders.

It’s clear that Villa don’t have the same financial resources as England’s elite clubs. That’s why their signings haven’t been as high-profile as some of the top clubs in the country. However, with the resources available and Unai Emery’s quality as a manager, Aston Villa are making a difference in the Premier League.

Villa can’t imagine big-name signings like Alexander Isak or Florian Wirtz for fees easily exceeding £100m, or even Victor Jakores for anything close to £100m.

However, regular participation in the Champions League should boost their earnings and if they can continue to do so over the next few seasons, they may be able to sign big-money players.

However, Emery’s sharp football brain may be Villa’s biggest asset at the moment. The Aston Villa boss will draw inspiration from Claudio Ranieri, who won the Premier League title with Leicester City in 2016. However, for this to happen, both City and Arsenal’s performances will have to drop.

Needless to say, Aston Villa will have to repeat the kind of performance they showed in the first half of the season.

main photo

Credit: IMAGO/Moving Image

Record date: December 21, 2025