Journalist and Aston Villa insider explains the incredible ‘meticulous’ methods of Unai Emery

Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague has been given a significant level of access behind the scenes at Aston Villa.

Villa have made remarkable progress under manager Unai Emery, with compatriots Damian Vidagany and Monchi also playing a big role in the club’s football department until president of football operations Monchi departed last month.

Balague has had the ear of prominent Spanish and South American figures in English football since the early 1990s and is a long-time admirer of Villa’s Basque boss. In his new book, Rise of the Villans, he charts the club’s development since 2022.

While on book promotion duty, Balague explained just how detailed and dedicated Emery and his staff are and what they expect from others.

“I was aware of the work that goes in with Unai Emery and his assistants, but not aware of the hours that they put in,” said Balague in an interview with BBC Radio WM.

“8am to 8pm every single day, three meetings with 50-minute videos, hour-and-a-half meetings thrice a week.

“And what’s interesting is, in my mind, I am thinking of how can players deal with all of this? Well, there is a filter. If you cannot deal with it, you are not there. It’s part of your growth.”

‘Emery makes you grow’

Balague knows a thing or two about being meticulous. I’ve been lucky enough to work with him for a number of months in the past and he is a grafter almost without equal in my experience.

“Emery makes you grow, you have to listen to him, and you have to go into the little details. Honestly, it’s like working at Nasa. There is so much going on,” he said.

Villa’s improving fortunes under Emery can be easy to take for granted, so let’s recap exactly what this superhuman work ethic has brought to the club in just a few short years.

Emery took over a listless team previously managed by Steven Gerrard, which is to say they were barely managed at all. The direction of travel wasn’t a positive one and the good work of Dean Smith looked under serious threat of being undone.

Under the current manager, Villa have qualified for European football in three consecutive seasons. They reached the Champions League for the first time since it became the Champions League thanks to their highest Premier League finish for nearly 30 years.

They reached the last four of the FA Cup, albeit for another forgettable Wembley visit last season.

It’s these exacting standards that have earned Emery a large degree of patience despite a disappointing start to the season. Managers who go six matches without a win, especially as a result of six dismal performances, tend to find themselves under pressure.

Emery is, in that regard and others, an exception.

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