Emery’s plan to beat United

Unai Emery couldn’t have started his new career on a better footing Aston Villa after the unexpected announcement of his sudden departure from Villarreal. The Basque coach finished his first game on his return to the Premier League with a solid victory at home against Manchester United (3-1).

But behind this important victory against Ten Hag’s team there is an inside story, revealed by one of the ‘Villans’ players: Ollie Watkins. In words published by ‘The Sun’, the striker explained that Unai Emery kept his plan a secret until the last minute. Even the ‘eleven’ he has, which the players don’t know about until moments before the match starts.

“No one has any idea who will play. It’s a guessing game, but we accept it and we’re all involved. We discover the team at our team meeting, which is about 11:30. Usually the technicians we announced on the day before, or they let you know somehow. But no matter which team comes out, the result will be the same in the end. Everybody worked hard and agreed on the game plan,” Watkins said.

Great goal by Digne against United

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Watkins said Emery’s style of football is different from what they used to play (4-2-2-2). “Back then, there were a lot of long balls for me and for Danny Ings, we didn’t stop fighting the defenders. We used a lot of energy. Now, when the ball comes to us, because the defenders take their time with the ball and we are making more passes, it’s easier for us because we have more time. “It’s a 4-4-2 and we’re not overloaded with information.”