Thread by @lmechegaray

1/ Unai Emery's arrival to #AVFC 🟣🔵 is an incredibly exciting time. I've already talked about his resume and tactics (see below) so this thread takes the proverbial microscope and looks at specific areas where I think he - alongside his staff - will help

https://twitter.com/lmechegaray/status/1584612241240133632?s=20&t=BdPgxDj-TccEstL-emwzGA

2/ For a VERY long time now, Villa have been a team with either no identity or an inconsistent one. Most recently, Dean Smith's situation was a tough one because he was transitioning a Championship squad to the PL, with a heavy, heavy reliance on one player (Jack Grealish)...

3/...while Steven Gerrard's side was a group of talented individuals playing in the dark. Emery's obsessive focus on detail and his need for players to share this obsession will be an immediate wake up call for everyone. Their game's IQ will rise because of it. So straight away,

4/...I look at McGinn or even Matty Cash, w/ an incredible amount of talent + athleticism who I believe still has more to learn strategically. Pervis Estupiñan, for example, developed so quickly under UE. Cash can have a similar rise. Every pivot mid will also learn more.

5/ Emery's tactics have evolved so much since the last time he was in the PL and midfield is key. Almost always, UE's Villarreal's possession is dependent on the relationship between the defensive line and the two CM's. They are the magnet. So Bouba Kamara - still only 22...

6/...is going to explode. Douglas Luiz will also learn a lot. If I had a penny every time I heard a Villa fan say, "DL can't play 6...put him as an 8!" I'd be NSWE right now, not them. Well, guess what. Emery can help him be both.

Then there are the players who are just...

7/...waiting to turn into dynamite. Step up, Emiliano Buendía, Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins. When I interviewed Arnaut Danjuma earlier this year and asked him about Emery, he couldn't even put into words how much he has helped him. There is such a focus on detail but also...

8/...a motivational push that all talented attackers need. He can do the same here.

I also think you can teach an old dog new tricks and Coutinho will be better for his arrival. I have also chatted to PC in the past before and he is a shy person, someone who needs one-on-one...

9/...advice more than anyone. Of course, Gerrard provided that but it was more as friends and former teammates and that's not the same. Emery will talk to him like a caring professor, advising not on his strengths, but his weaknesses.

Then you have the likes of...

10/...Emiliano Martínez, who already knows him. I personally think he should be captain. It's a perfect fit - but also, EM's ball-delivery (which looked good vs. Brentford) will improve as UE wants his keepers to act as strong, possession-centric players.

Finally, I go back...

11/...to what UE said earlier this year, when he took Villarreal to the SF's of the Champions League - which they had no business doing: "I am better prepared now to take on a job in the Premier League."

I fully believe it. Let's get it.

UTV 🟣🔵