Unai Emery tactics and style of play

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery built his reputation in La Liga and Ligue 1 before coming to the Premier League. A manager accustomed to building teams with both limited and near-limitless budgets, he has won the Europa League a record four times. Then, in less than a season with Villa, he managed to take the club into European competition for the first time in 12 years. 

With Sevilla, he won the Europa League an unprecedented three seasons in a row. In 2016, his Sevilla side dismantled Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the final. He discussed that victory in an exclusive Coaches’ Voice Masterclass (below).

In France, Emery collected seven trophies in two seasons at the helm of Paris Saint-Germain. He then took on the considerable task of succeeding Arsène Wenger at Arsenal, guiding the Gunners to a Europa League final before returning to Spain with Villarreal. There, he picked up yet another Europa League. 

Six months after leading Villarreal to the Champions League semi finals, Emery became Villa’s head coach. The club were 16th in the Premier League when he took over in October 2022, with 12 points from their first 13 games. By the end of the campaign, Emery had guided Villa to 15 wins from 25 matches and a European place. Villa’s points-per-match average of 1.96 was the fourth-best in the Premier League since he joined.

What his players have said

“He tells you how to play, where to stand and how to get the best out of your game,” said Villa striker Ollie Watkins. “That’s really important.”

Gerard Moreno, who played as a striker for Emery at Villarreal, has said of Emery: “He is a perfectionist in everything he does. He works the team and analyses the opposition to perfection, and that makes him the great coach he is.”

Below, our UEFA-licensed coaches have highlighted some key aspects of the tactical approaches Emery has taken in his various head coach roles…

Transitional attacks

Emery has tended to favour a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 formation, with a heavy focus on attacking with central numbers and combinations. This usually means multiple players moving inside from wide. 

His Valencia and Sevilla teams both employed transitional attacks in a 4-4-2 shape, but featured players who could dominate possession when necessary. 

At Sevilla, Ivan Rakitic, José Antonio Reyes and Vitolo often combined in the central spaces to support striker Carlos Bacca, who attacked defenders with power and speed. 

That Sevilla side was a powerful attacking unit that progressed the ball forward quickly. The rotations between Rakitic, Vitolo and Reyes ahead of the double pivot, plus Bacca’s ability to attack 1v1, provided key attacking outlets (below).

In support of such fluid attacking movements, Emery has regularly fielded a solid pairing underneath the ball. This is aimed at stopping counter-attacks and sustaining possession when needed. Indeed, one trait of Emery’s sides has been recognising when counter-attacks aren’t an option and adapting style of play in possession.

In his Valencia team, central midfielders David Silva and Éver Banega were influential. At Sevilla, it was typically Stéphane M’Bia and Daniel Carriço. For Arsenal, Emery had Mattéo Guendouzi and Granit Xhaka. At PSG, the passing versatility of Thiago Motta, Adrien Rabiot and Marco Verratti linked play with those in the attacking third. At Villarreal, Dani Parejo, Étienne Capoue and Francis Coquelin were crucial in these moments. 

Since taking over at Villa, Emery’s trademark transitional attacks have also been evident. The central midfield – often Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara as a double pivot – have provided cover and support underneath and around the ball. When Villa regain possession, Ollie Watkins has shown the ability to link play and run in behind. He is then supported by the speedy Moussa Diaby.

Villa’s wide areas provide further support on the counter-attack. John McGinn has played wide when defending in a 4-4-2. Then, in possession, he moves to the inside channel as an extra central midfielder when needed. McGinn has also provided a box-to-box threat.

Others have been used on the opposite flank, including Nicolò Zaniolo, Leon Bailey, Jacob Ramsey and Matty Cash. All of these have provided similar transitional support to that offered by McGinn.

Sustained possession

At PSG, Emery had a squad that could dominate the ball for lengthier periods of possession than his previous teams. During his time in Ligue 1, he most commonly used a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3.

In the 4-3-3, Emery’s defensive midfielder would withdraw towards the central defence, encouraging both full-backs to advance (below). The front three, meanwhile, adopted a narrower shape and rotated. One of his attacking midfielders would provide a shorter passing option from defence and into attack, while the other provided a run behind the front three. These attacking movements higher up the pitch mirrored those of Emery’s previous clubs.

At Arsenal, midfielder Granit Xhaka withdrew into a deeper position, in an attempt to draw opponents in and progress possession. Up front, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette gave Emery the option of selecting two strikers. The latter withdrew into deeper positions to link play on central counters, and stretch opposing defenders. In turn, Aubameyang attacked with pace, similar to Bacca at Sevilla.

With PSG, Emery’s full-backs advanced high and wide. But at Arsenal, Hector Bellerín often drove infield from right-back, taking opponents with him. Lacazette and Mesut Özil both benefited from this; they could receive with more space, before switching play or finding forward runs. 

Switching to a back three and during lengthier periods of possession, Emery’s Arsenal would attack via the wing-backs. Xhaka then held his central position, with Guendouzi making forward runs from midfield.

At Villa, Emery’s players adapt out of their 4-4-2 when regaining possession. Watkins becomes the main central threat during sustained possession, often supported by two number 10s – Diaby as his partner in the first line, with McGinn narrowing. 

Villa’s double pivot then support underneath, with width from a full-back and winger. The back line becomes a trio, with the far-side full-back having licence to join in with delayed forward runs (below).

Sometimes both full-backs advance to create width, leaving two centre-backs and the double pivot underneath the ball. Watkins then has an extra player supporting in the central spaces, with both wide players narrowing, alongside Diaby, between the lines. Villa have implemented this secondary structure when dominating the ball for longer periods.

Defending to counter

Emery’s teams typically adopt high defensive lines in an attempt to defend away from goal. They emphasise an aggressive press and minimising spaces between the lines. 

If a high defensive line is impractical, or an opponent has passed the high pressure, Emery will organise his players into a mid-block. The double pivot he regularly utilises provides cover in front of the central defenders.

His Arsenal team relied on Xhaka, Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Aaron Ramsey to preserve their defensive balance when not pressing high up the pitch. Attackers Özil and Aubameyang often had wide roles without the ball so that, like Neymar at PSG, they could provide an outlet for counters.

At Villarreal, he regularly used a 4-4-2 mid-block, from which they forced play away from the centre. Having two strikers helped, with the closest attempting to restrict the ball to one side. If the central midfielders were close and narrow, they would press forwards, ready to press wide once the ball was forced there (below).

In his time at Villa, Emery has maintained this out-of-possession 4-4-2 and a high, aggressive back line, even within a mid-block. Watkins and Diaby have formed the first line, covering and screening central spaces, and forcing the ball wide. Luiz and Kamara provide cover in the central spaces, while the likes of McGinn, Ramsey and Cash add a defensive presence in Villa’s second line.

Defending and pressing higher

In the Champions League, Emery had PSG defend in a 4-5-1, with Ángel Di María and Neymar positioned to lead counters. If they pressed with aggression, an attacking midfielder would advance to form a front two. 

In a 4-3-3, the wide midfielders would tuck infield to support either a double pivot, or the lone defensive midfielder. This made PSG effective at defending the central lane on transitions, forcing opponents wide.

In a higher defensive block at Arsenal, Aubameyang would often press high on the left side. The right-sided wide player tucked infield to cover the two defensive midfielders. If Arsenal’s number 10 advanced, Lacazette moved across. Arsenal would attempt to force possession into a pressing trap, surrounding the ball with numbers (below).

A central midfielder could add numbers up front to give a more aggressive out-of-possession approach. In a 4-3-3, the second line became four in this higher defensive structure when the wide forwards recovered back (above).

When his Villa team has committed to a higher press, Emery hasn’t moved towards a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 too often. Instead, he has usually maintained the 4-4-2. The first line works to force the ball outwards, with the support of at least one of the double pivot (below). 

The versatility of Villa’s wide players has meant they move deeper to support the full-backs and cover inside when needed. This 4-4-2 shape helped to deliver a stunning set of results for Villa in Emery’s first year in charge.

To learn more about football tactics and gain insights from coaches at the top of the game, visit CV Academy