Unai Emery has proved time and time again the brilliance of his managerial tactics. From winning four Europa League titles to pushing small-scale teams to the latter stages of the Champions League. The Spanish manager has gone under the radar in the world of football in recent years, with his time at Arsenal overshadowing his achievements over his managerial career.

Early Career

Emery started his managerial career at Lorca Deportivo CF in 2004, the same team he had played for just the year before. He managed them for two seasons and, in his first season, helped the club achieve promotion to the Spanish second division for the first time in the club’s history. Lorca Deportivo then finished fifth in the second division, only five points off the promotion spots.

He then moved to Almeria, where he once again achieved promotion in his first season, moving Almeria up to La Liga. They finished eighth in La Liga, prompting a move to well-established Spanish side Valencia.

Despite financial struggles happening within the club, Emery managed his side to a sixth-place finish and a spot in the Europa League the following season. He then spent another three years at Valencia, securing Champions League football in each one of those seasons.

He then spent a short spell in Russia at Spartak Moscow, before being sacked and returning to Spain.

The Europa League King

Emery returned to Spain and managed Sevilla for three years. In this period, Emery won the Europa League three consecutive times, making Sevilla the most successful club in the competition’s history.

Notably beating English giants Liverpool 3-1 in 2016, who had the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge.

This was the turning point in Emery’s career, leading to recognition from top clubs across Europe and becoming an established manager. A tactical mastermind performance which outclassed the famous Jurgen Klopp.

Playing built-up attacking football, Emery drew interest from Paris Saint-Germain in France. After expressing his desire to leave Sevilla, the Spaniard opted for a move to Paris.

France

Emery spent two years in Paris, winning all the domestic honours in both seasons and winning Ligue 1 in the 2017-18 season. A successful period in France that was ultimately overlooked by the great 6-1 comeback in 2017. Emery’s PSG won 4-0 against a Barcelona side stacked with talent, including the formidable front three of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in the first leg of the round of 16 tie in the Champions League. With most eyes perceived on PSG already through to the next round, the unthinkable occurred with Barcelona making the biggest comeback in Champions League history, winning 6-1 with three goals coming in the last 10 minutes of the game

With PSG’s biggest goal being to win the Champions League, and Emery only achieving round of 16 ties in both his seasons in charge, he left the French club at the end of his second season and was replaced by Thomas Tuchel.

Career Setback

Emery joined Arsenal in 2018, and across his stints at Valencia, Sevilla, and PSG, Emery stuck with his ideology of attacking fluid football, relying on individual performances to grind out each game, and stuck with this ideology in the Premier League.

Under his first season, Emery reached another Europa League final, but ended up losing to London rivals Chelsea 4-1 in embarrassing fashion. A capitulation towards the end of the season also meant Arsenal missed out on the Champions League spots in what turned out to be a failure for the standards of the club.

A busy transfer window, including the record signing of winger Nicholas Pepe, ultimately led to nothing as the poor results continued into the new season and Emery was sacked at the end of November.

This left Emery surrounded by question marks over his pedigree as a manager. Two stints at two of the biggest cubs in Europe that ultimately did not end in success.

The Comeback

After spending the rest of the 2019/20 season without a club, Emery joined Spanish side Villarreal. His first season was nothing short of unbelievable. In his first months, he broke the club’s record of the number of games unbeaten in a row with 18. Villarreal were also in the Europa League, the competition he knows inside and out.

They progressed to the semi-finals, drawn against his former club Arsenal, a 2-1 win on aggregate saw his side progress to the final despite being heavy underdogs. This set up a final against footballing giants Manchester United.

Going into the final, his side was also a heavy underdog. An eventful 1-1 draw that went to penalties, where Villarreal came out on top and won the club’s first-ever major trophy. A major bounce back for Emery who had beaten two English giants to win the competition for a fourth time.

Emery’s style of play

Emery tends to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a lot of build-up and high intensity. He has said previously that his system requires creativity, intensity and energy. He wants his teams to be competitive for the entire 90 minutes but with a bit of individual flair or brilliance.

He utilises all players on the pitch whilst in attack, bringing his full-backs high to play as a supportive option for his two wingers. He likes to play from the back and tends to have a ball-playing centre back in his squad to spot the runs of the forward players at times that are least expected. An example of this is Spanish centre-back Pau Torres, who has now been managed under Emery for two clubs. Torres has proved time and time again his ability to seek out a long pass which results in a quick counter for Emery’s side.

Emery has thrived at well-established teams that sit just outside the major teams in each league. Sevilla and Villarreal are known as the higher mid-table sides in the Spanish league. In these spells, not only has he won four Europa League titles, but he has also taken a Villarreal side to the semi-finals of the Champions League, beating European powerhouses Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

His spell at Aston Villa has been nothing short of remarkable. He took over the side when they were sitting 17th in the Premier League. In his three years at the club, he has led them to fourth, sixth and seventh finishes, qualifying for the Champions League and making it to the quarter-finals, eventually losing to the ongoing winners PSG, but almost turning around a four-goal deficit at Villa Park in which finished 5-4 on aggregate. He has qualified for Europe in every season he has been at Aston Villa and currently sits 3rd in the Premier League, three points behind the league leaders.

His style of football represents a Guardiola-esque style of play. He thrives off big games, overpowering his midfield to win battles and build up through each position to utilise each part of the pitch.

For a manager who was written off for his spell in England, he has worked his way back up to being one of the top managers in Europe and has gone under the radar for his achievements and progression throughout his career, especially for the improvements he has made for clubs such as Sevilla, Villarreal and Aston Villa.