Emery Reaches Century Mark as Aston Villa Identify Form in Europe

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery celebrated a significant milestone on Thursday, securing his 100th victory in charge of the club with a 1-0 Europa League win against Lille. The result arrives at a pivotal moment, offering a lift after a challenging run of form in the Premier League.

A Return to Winning Ways

Ollie Watkins’ header proved the difference in France, providing Villa with a slender advantage heading into the second leg. More importantly, the win represents a reset for a team that had recently endured a difficult stretch, according to captain John McGinn.

“We needed a reset. The past month has not been great,” McGinn said. “We can’t dwell on it. We can learn from it but what we need to do is build and this is a building block. We know we can do a lot better but it is a excellent result.”

John McGinn, Aston Villa Captain

Villa had previously lost three of their last four domestic games, including defeats to Newcastle, Chelsea and bottom-placed Wolves. The Europa League victory is therefore seen as a building block to regain momentum.

Emery’s Impressive Record

Emery has quickly established himself as a successful manager at Aston Villa, reaching 100 wins in just 181 games. This is faster than any other manager in the club’s history, surpassing Ron Saunders, who reached the milestone in his fourth season. His win ratio of 55.2% is the best in Aston Villa’s history.

Among current Premier League managers, only Pep Guardiola (137 wins) and Mikel Arteta (118 wins) have achieved more victories than Emery since his arrival at Villa Park in November 2022.

Looking Ahead

Despite the positive result in Europe, Villa faces a quick return to Premier League action with a challenging trip to Manchester United on Sunday. Emery acknowledged the demanding schedule but emphasized the importance of building on the Lille victory.

“We played very seriously,” Emery said to VillaTV. “We were always organised and we played trying to defend strongly, trying to feel comfortable defending as well, and trying to get some transition with the ball and to dominate with the ball – and we did it.”

Unai Emery, Aston Villa Manager

Emery as well revealed he used the recent struggles of English teams in the Champions League as motivation for his players, highlighting the difficulties of competing in Europe.

“We respect this competition because we know the difficulties of each match away from home in Europe. We know how it is for the English teams, like this week in the Champions League, how they were struggling.”

Unai Emery, Aston Villa Manager

FAQ

• How many wins does Unai Emery have as Aston Villa manager? 100 wins in 181 games.
• Who has more Premier League wins than Unai Emery since 2022? Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
• What competition did Aston Villa win in to reach this milestone? The Europa League against Lille.

Aston Villa’s Europa League campaign continues to offer a promising avenue for success, both in terms of silverware and securing a return to European competition next season. Emery’s ability to deliver on multiple fronts will be crucial as the season progresses.