Villa and Emery’s Lara and Lara
The combination of Villa and Unai Emery worked really well last season. He helped a team that was languishing in the middle of the table to a top-four finish and even the Champions League. It’s no wonder that Villa fans are so supportive of Emery now, and it’s no wonder that they have high hopes for him.
Gerrard took over the club in November 2022, and that season was a time of change. The team finished seventh.
The new season saw the signings of Tielemans, Paul Torres and Moussa Diaby, as well as the loan signings of Zaniolo from Galatasaray and Linglet from Barcelona. Many players were let go. Unlike Gerrard, they wanted to play more possession, create more space, They have adopted a more forward-thinking approach than a reactive one, and with the emergence of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they have reached the fourth place. They have also reached the semi-finals of the Conference League.
They have brought in players like Martin and Amadou Onana, but they have lost key players like Douglas Luiz. Moussa Diaby has also left for the Etihad. But Villa are still in fourth place this season and if they can finish in the top four like last season, or even get past the group stage in the Champions League and reach the next round, it would be a step up. It will take Emery at least five seasons to transform a solid mid-table team into a top team.
Emery has played a 4-4-2 formation, but in the match he has played a 4-2-2-2. Mainly to create a box position in the midfield. He likes to start from the back and when he starts like that, he plays with 4 defenders and a goalkeeper and 2 midfielders. When he plays like that, he plays with a left center defender + left winger + midfielder, and a right center defender + right winger + midfielder. He can play with the goalkeeper and keep the ball in his own half for a long time and create enough manpower to keep the game in place.
At that time, his system is for the players on the wings to come in and take their places. They don’t have to be close, but if they are paired with 2 midfielders, he gets the box position he wants. He uses a style of holding the ball on his side for a long time and inviting the opponent players to come and play on his side. That way he can create the space he wants.
At the back, 4 defenders, When the two midfielders and the goalkeeper are playing in the first position, when the opponent comes up to press, the wingers take up space, so the space in the middle of the field becomes theirs. The players who play in that space are important to him.
If the opponent’s full-backs react to the wingers’ move in and follow them, Olympique Lyonnais can play on the loose flanks and try to receive the ball, either through the middle or through the middle. That’s what he likes when the full-backs come up.
If the defenders don’t see his trap and press the Villa wingers who are in the middle, he starts to build his attack there. Then he uses the 3-2-5, which all modern coaches use, to press the attack. In such cases, the attacking players on the sidelines will be ready to attack the empty spaces as the players expand.
When the five-man attack is attacking in a circular manner, the two midfielders will be close and will be pressing. This means that the attacking players can play more together and with each other, and Unai Emery’s preferred style of attacking from the center can be activated.
When the opponent sees this, if the players gather in the center to control the center of the pitch and respond, his players on the wings will attack individually and in pairs. This is the system that Unai Emery currently uses.
Against teams that are stronger and have better players, they will have to try to get good results, but against teams of the same level and in the same team, Unai Emery’s team can gain an advantage as a better team.
It remains to be seen what Emery and Villa will do this season.