Aston Villa give Unai Emery total control -and he’s planning big changes

A photo posted on Aston Villa’s Twitter page at 3:01 p.m. on November 2 perfectly illustrates the power Unai Emery has at his new club.

In a luxurious setting, a smiling Emery stands alongside Nassef Sawiris, co-owner of the club, as they hold up the blue and burgundy jersey.

The message was clear: Emery was handpicked by Sawiris and fellow billionaire Wes Edens, and would be trusted to do things his way.

Emery is the fourth boss of Sawiris and Edens, who rescued the club from near extinction in 2018, but he has the strongest pedigree, so his influence is greater than that of his predecessors.

Although the ill-fated signing of Philippe Coutinho was prompted by Steven Gerrard, the former England captain did not exercise this kind of control. Perhaps no Villa manager has done it since Martin O’Neill, who managed the club from 2006 to 2010.

For proof, just take a look at Villa’s transfer strategy so far in this window.

They have already signed Alex Moreno, a 29-year-old left-back from Real Betis, although Villa bought another 29-year-old left-back, Lucas Digne, from Everton just a year ago and made him one of their highest-paid. players

The arrival of Moreno puts in doubt the future of Digne, whose defensive qualities have not convinced Emery. On the opposite flank, it will be interesting to find out Emery’s long-term plan for Matty Cash, who no longer seems like an automatic pick.

Villa’s other targets include Matteo Guendouzi, Arnaut Danjuma and Gerard Deulofeu. Danjuma and Guendouzi have worked with Emery at Villarreal and Arsenal respectively and they adore their former manager.

Chief Executive Christian Purslow has rebuilt the club impressively, driving the redevelopment of Villa Park, which will increase capacity to 50,000.

Sports director Johan Lange’s data-driven approach has brought structure to the recruitment process at all levels. However, the first team is Emery’s show now, and there will be even more changes this window and into the summer.

The Basque is a workaholic and 13-hour days are the norm. Located near the training ground, Emery is on duty even when his players are free.

Senior players John McGinn and Tyrone Mings believe he has already taken his game to another level with the laser focus of his training, while members of staff have spoken positively about his warm form.

The team were impressed by their tactical plan for victory over Manchester United in their opening match, in which Jacob Ramsey and Emiliano Buendía started wide in a 4-4-2 but moved inside to create a numerical advantage. in the middle.

Emery believes this is the best coaching staff he has ever had and that his 18 months at Arsenal will see him succeed at Villa.

In fact, just days into his tenure, Emery was already giving his players examples of his fierce attention to detail. Between November 2, Emery’s first day in charge, and November 13, when Villa beat Brighton 2-1 before the World Cup break, the squad did not get a full day off.

One of Emery’s first moves was to summon the players one by one to his office and, once there, the player was given detailed information, via clips on an iPad, on how to proceed.

The message was clear: this is what I need you to do, and if you do it, I can help you. Don’t worry too much about anything else.

One of Emery’s favorite tools is video analysis and the level of detail has had a huge impact on the team, who were impressed by how much Emery knew about their individual strengths and weaknesses during their first few encounters.

The appointment of Pako Ayestarán, part of Rafael Benítez’s coaching staff when he won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, seems like a very smart move.

Since day one, Emery has been in the thick of the action at Bodymoor Heath, marching from court to court with clipboards in hand.

The 51-year-old has an air of authority and likes to keep a professional distance from his team, but Sportsmail understands that his coaching staff have made a particular effort to make players feel comfortable, which was not always the case under the previous regime. .

Gerrard’s experiment started out well, but it went downhill, and Sawiris wanted to make sure that his successor had a proven European pedigree.

Still, Emery’s arrival doesn’t guarantee success, and the home defeat to League Two Stevenage in the FA Cup last weekend was the first big bump in the road. How easy will it be to keep those who don’t play regularly on board?

Will the long days, limited free time and detailed video sessions continue to attract players’ attention? Will constant in-game training be an inspiration to some but an irritation to others?

One thing is for sure though: Sawiris and Edens finally have a coach with the clout to live up to their ambitions.