Jack Grealish Brings Aston Villa’s Legacy to Life as He Takes On Unai Emery in a Battle of the Past and Present
On Sunday, the past and present of Aston Villa will collide in a Premier League match, with former club captain Jack Grealish facing one of Europe’s top managers, Unai Emery, at the Etihad ‘Superstar’. Ask Aston Villa employees about head coach Unai Emery, and you will typically hear this term. For the first two seasons, the club drew inspiration from an outstanding footballer. Eighteen months after Jack Grealish’s departure, they’ve committed to an elite coach.
On Sunday, Villa’s past and present are likely to meet, as Grealish is expected to make his first start for Manchester City against his former club since his £100 million transfer in August 2021. After failing to match his effect on the field, Villa chose to do so in the dugout, recruiting one of Europe’s finest when they fired Steven Gerrard in November of last year.
Will it succeed? Early indicators have been encouraging, but this is only the start of the process. Emery was engaged to deliver European football, however this is not his only objective. Grealish quit Villa because he doubted his ability to achieve his personal goals as a youth. If Emery’s appointment goes according to plan, the next homegrown superstar would reconsider Grealish’s decision.
At Valencia, Sevilla, and Villarreal, Emery constructed teams capable of competing with the continent’s titans and winning titles. Although he lacked the financial resources to contend for league titles in Spain, he would generally guarantee that his team was competitive against clubs with more resources.
He has already established himself in this regard. Emery’s squad defeated Manchester United in his first game in command, defeated Tottenham in their final game of 2022, and came near to defeating Liverpool on Christmas Day. If Emery fails, it will not be because to a lack of effort.
Employees of Aston Villa who enter Emery’s office at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training facility are accustomed to seeing the Basque crouched over his laptop, analyzing video of Villa’s previous matches or those of their opponents. Locally based, he spends up to 16 hours every day at the training facility.
Players have become accustomed to performing extremely specific tactical work, followed by extensive film analysis. There are also fewer days off.
With sixteen out of a potential twenty-four points, the start has been excellent for Villa supporters. But make no mistake: this must succeed. Emery has more authority than any other manager in the Nassef Sawiris-Wes Edens era and will receive support from Villa’s billionaire owners in the summer. Before the start of the upcoming season, the roster will likely undergo considerable changes.
Villa cannot have a third consecutive November of tearing everything up and starting over with a “superstar” on the sidelines. All of the eggs are contained in Emery’s basket, so they cannot break. The remainder of this season is Emery’s opportunity to leave his imprint on the team, and beginning in the upcoming campaign, there must be substantial improvement.
The ideal scenario for Villa would be for Grealish to look back at his former club and question whether he should have departed after all. Sunday would be the ideal day to make him question his decisions.
