Aston Villa’s win over Man City underlined Unai Emery’s transformation and shows they can beat anyone at Villa Park | Football News

Aston Villa didn’t simply beat Man City, they outplayed them. They have the very best house document within the Premier League and at the moment are above the reigning champions. Adam Bate was at Villa Park to see Unai Emery’s masterclass and assesses what makes his workforce so good

Only 19 of the 281 Premier League video games that Manchester City have performed since Pep Guardiola turned their supervisor have seen them have fewer photographs than their opponent. But Aston Villa didn’t simply have yet another shot than City. They had 20 extra.

That has by no means occurred earlier than. Not simply throughout Guardiola’s time at City, however in any of his 535 top-flight video games as a supervisor.

The majority of these different 18 with City had been towards Manchester United, Arsenal or Liverpool. Brighton have managed to outshoot them on a few events however there are often extenuating circumstances when a workforce does so towards Guardiola’s City.

Against Bournemouth in 2020, they led from the sixth minute and received comfortably sufficient. Against Nottingham Forest earlier this season, they led from the seventh minute and had 10 gamers for half the sport. Ederson was despatched off after 12 minutes at Wolves in 2019.

This time it was nothing to do with the state of the sport or any numerical benefit. It was all the pieces to do with Aston Villa’s superiority. “The better team won,” stated Guardiola afterwards. “Aston Villa were better than us.” Frankly, he may say little else.

Unai Emery sought to downplay any suggestion that this was a private triumph for him to beat a Guardiola workforce at the 14th try. “It is not something special. It is a process.” What a course of. Aston Villa may be the very best coached workforce within the Premier League.

Emery opted to incorporate Youri Tielemans from the beginning alongside the trio of Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz and John McGinn for the primary time in a Premier League recreation. His field midfield allowed Villa to outnumber City within the centre and dominate them because of this.

Teams simply don’t do what Villa did to City. They received possession within the ultimate third of the pitch 9 instances within the first half alone. No workforce has accomplished that extra in a full recreation all season. When it was over, it had occurred 13 instances – a document within the Guardiola period at City.

Villa created possibilities because of this however this was not an end-to-end encounter as at Chelsea not too long ago. Emery restricted City too. Emiliano Martinez’s early double save from Erling Haaland was spectacular however they had been their solely makes an attempt on objective all match.

Interestingly, the second of these saves might properly have been dominated out anyway because it seemed to be narrowly offside. That too has been a function of Emery’s Villa. They possess the very best offside entice within the Premier League and it has been a key weapon for them defensively.

Julian Alvarez thought he had discovered house down the left channel throughout the first half solely to see the flag go up. Phil Foden was left pissed off within the second half. Erling Haaland was even wrongfooted at one level, seemingly bamboozled by Villa’s offside entice.

City had been caught offside on 5 events. That is the primary time that has occurred to them in any Premier League recreation this season. But that is Villa. City are the ninth workforce now they have caught out 5 instances or extra. No different workforce has accomplished it to greater than twice.

It has taken plenty of work to excellent it, hours of labor on the coaching floor and in video periods, as a result of precision is crucial. Defenders should be on their toes, able to drop or to push up, and at all times side-on in anticipation of a race with the centre-forward.

Speaking to Ezri Konsa not too long ago, he revealed that he has tailored his physique form when defending. “When the ball goes over your head, the way you need to turn is completely different to what I and a few of the other boys have been taught,” he advised Sky Sports.

That excessive line of defense can seem dangerous however the rewards are apparent. Villa had been capable of squeeze the sport, making it far too congested for City’s midfield to deal with it. They had been unable to search out the house required to spring the entice and set Haaland away.

Villa are a workforce that can win in several methods, with totally different formations, however, at Villa Park, at least, the end result is similar. Fourteen consecutive house wins equals a membership document and is twice as many as some other Premier League membership has at present received in a row.

The supporters are expectant and as properly they may be. The message on the video screens at Villa proclaims that the large is awake. As the group roared with delight at the ultimate whistle, there’s a rising perception contained in the stadium that this may very well be simply the beginning.

Can they actually preserve it? Competing in Europe too will check the squad and it’s comprehensible that Emery needs to get 30 video games into the Premier League season not 15 earlier than indulging speak of a title race. But there may be some depth to the expertise out there now.

Guardiola talked about that Villa bench afterwards. While he turned to teenager Oscar Bobb, Villa introduced on Moussa Diaby and Jacob Ramsey. The first-choice left-back Alex Moreno is match once more however it was Lucas Digne, a Steven Gerrard signing, who began on this one.

That is one other astonishing side of Emery’s success at Villa. The majority of the beginning line-up for this win over City additionally began the 3-0 defeat to Fulham final yr that ended his predecessor’s reign. Recruitment has been good. But it is a teaching triumph.

Konsa is a participant reworked, shining in defence and assault from right-back towards City. Pau Torres has added one other dimension together with his passing from the again. Behind him, Martinez may be – because the Holte End sings – the world’s No 1. Ahead, Douglas Luiz is imperious, flanked by these fan favourites Kamara and McGinn.

Ollie Watkins is greater than a dependable goalscorer, he’s an image of perpetual motion, and there may be high quality round him now. Leon Bailey, the match-winner, revelled in his position from the appropriate. Confidence is excessive and rising. Emery’s Villa are the true deal.