Unai Emery's high-flying Aston Villa have Europe in their sights

Villa's journey from 17th to 7th in six months stands in stark contrast to Leicester's journey from last to...well, second last. The difference? Managerial excellence, delivered in the form of Spanish master Unai Emery.

Emery joined Villa in October after Gerrard was let go. As a Europa League winner and the former leader of a top-four Premiership club, Emery felt like a big get for Villa, the kind of leader who could really make things happen. And he proved that true almost immediately by untangling some of Gerrard's most unpopular decisions. Villa's biggest problems under Gerrard were a lack of width and forwards who felt alienated. Emery turned both around in a matter of days.

For width, Emery turned to the bench and tapped midfielder Douglas Luiz. The talented but mercurial player had fallen out with Gerrard and rarely started, but when he did--versus Man City and Brentford--he inspired some of Villa's best early-season performances. Emery's faith in Luiz blew up the midfield for the Villans and allowed them to finally--finally--get some service into the box for their forwards.

To ensure those forwards took advantage of that service, Emery pulled them aside and gave specific instructions on how to work. The Athletic reported that Emery coached Ollie Watkins on everything from where to run, where to stand and how to position his body to maximize his goal-scoring chances. It's worked a treat--between Luiz's service and Watkins's newfound confidence, Villa have scored in fourteen straight games in the league. Only Arsenal have managed a better 2023 record than the Villans.

"I want to score every week," Watkins told The Athletic. "I want to get twenty goals and then more."

With the team finally in sync, Emery believes there's more ahead for the Villans. 

"Now we can add another step and think about being candidates in the European positions," he told the Guardian. "We can have ambition, motivation to try to be a candidate. We are going to be very demanding and consistent. Don't relax, don't stop."

Villa's seismic shifts under Emery should inspire teams like Leicester, as frustrating as the loss was for them in the moment. They prove that relegation is never a sure thing, and that neither change nor success require a complete overhaul. Emery has purchased just two new players at Villa--the rest of the squad is identical to Gerrard's.

"We have to work, practice and be together because football is very difficult," Emery said, via Birmingham Live. "We escaped from the bottom because the players have been very committed to the work."