By Daily Sports Nigeria on December 11, 2025

Just 11 weeks ago Aston Villa were winless and third bottom of the Premier League.

Now, driven by manager Unai Emery, they are third with growing talk of their involvement in the title race.

Saturday's dramatic finale against leaders Arsenal underlined their credentials and the 2-1 victory was Emery's 63rd in the Premier League - the most in the club's history.

He has a 54.94% win rate from his 162 games and only the Gunners and Manchester City have picked up more points, 71, than Villa's 67 from 34 games in 2025.

They also face Basel in the Europa League on Thursday knowing victory would all but seal a last-16 spot with Villa third in the group phase.

It all comes after a start to the campaign which left them in the bottom three, out of the Carabao Cup and the last team in the Football League to score a goal.

Monchi, Villa's president of football operations, left in September and Emery's summer spending power was restricted by profit and sustainability rules (PSR) as questions were then asked about whether his touch had deserted him.

Yet three months later the only ones which remain are how seriously to take Villa in the title race.

What has Emery changed? The simple answer is nothing.

It is perhaps boring that the workaholic Spaniard has not taken a axe to his methods to ensure Villa recovered, but is it the most accurate assessment.

The 54-year-old has had the courage of his convictions to navigate through the problems which beset his team at the start.

It was evident the club was flat, not just in results. That the trajectory under Emery had been so great in three years meant expectations had grown; the pressure to reach the Champions League and desire for big signings finally hit them.

Villa had gone from Premier League strugglers in 2022 to the Champions League quarter-finals in less than two years under Emery and the exhaustion felt contagious through the stands and the pitch.

The opening goalless draw with Newcastle and the 1-0 defeat at Brentford were drab, before Crystal Palace ended Villa's 12-month unbeaten home record at the end of August.

Then, there was still the expectation keeper Emi Martinez would leave for Manchester United - having been left out against the Eagles - but he stayed and Villa also brought in Jadon Sancho, Harvey Elliott and Victor Lindelof on deadline day, although with little impact so far.

There was still a sense they had started the season weaker, having seen Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio leave following their loans, while they also sold Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for £40m.

The squad needed a summer refresh but, among tight PSR restrictions Villa only spent money on striker Evann Guessand and goalkeeper Marco Bizot.

Yet Emery has not wavered, even as Ollie Watkins struggled for goals, scoring just once in his opening 19 games.

They will strengthen in January, though, and teenage Brazilian winger Alysson is close to joining from Gremio.

Emery views the training ground at Bodymoor Heath as a fortress and few are allowed inside the inner sanctum, with a high level of focus demanded.

When he has been questioned, privately, about whether he should change the team's tactics or approach, the Spaniard has bristled.

Villa have not trained longer and Emery's detailed video sessions have not been modified. He has, essentially, bundled everyone up at Bodymoor and dragged them to where they needed to be again.

The former Arsenal, Paris St-German and Sevilla boss has been described as a force of nature, someone with the intensity and ambition Villa have not known before, and which has ultimately pushed them forward.

The level of control he has at Villa should also not be underestimated - something he never had with the Gunners or in Paris.

When Monchi departed, Emery had a significant say in his replacement Roberto Olabe - another Basque figure he knew from Almeria - while he has trusted staff, none more so than director of football operations Damian Vidagany.

It was different at Arsenal when Emery succeeded Arsene Wenger in 2018 and lasted just 18 months - perhaps a victim of circumstance after replacing the successful French boss. Before that, PSG's Qatari ownership did not renew his initial two-year contract despite winning a domestic treble.

How far would Emery have taken Arsenal if he had been given the same backing as his successor Mikel Arteta?

He now sits three points behind his former club as he attempts to help Villa qualify for the Champions League for a second time in three seasons and have a say in the title race - however much Emery downplays it.

"I am not thinking about it [the title]," he said after the impressive success over Arsenal. "I know 38 matches is very difficult. We are not a contender."

Having stuck to his principles, Emery's beliefs have shone through.

Villa have won nine of their last 10 Premier League matches - the only blip a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool - and 13 of their last 15 in all competitions.

Yet they have still not been entirely convincing, only doing so really in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth. Perhaps it is a warning to Arsenal and Manchester City - both beaten in Villa's near-faultless run - that Emery's men are yet to hit top gear.

Looking at their last five top-flight games - against Bournemouth, Leeds, Wolves, Brighton and Arsenal - they have had less possession and fewer entries into the box than in the winless opening five games.

Yet, with Emery persevering, the stats are all up elsewhere.

The biggest difference is the 8.8 xG in their most recent five outings, compared to just 3.8 at the start of the season.

There are more shots (75 to 52), more big chances created (10 compared to six), more touches in the opposition box and more tackles.

It took Villa time to get going, but Emery has proved their greatest weapon and led their charge in impressive fashion.

Source BBC Sports

Posted December 11, 2025

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