Aston Villa are back in the Champions League!
What a season it has been for Aston Villa and their highly-valued manager Unai Emery.
When the former Arsenal boss first stepped into the Villa Park dugout, the team were hovering above the Premier League’s relegation zone and now they are going to compete with Europe’s elite.
Not only do Aston Villa deserve Champions League football, but they have done it by playing some of the best football in the country.
One thing that constantly gets associated with Emery’s style of play is the team playing the offside trap – they are the best in the Premier League at doing this.
Villa are playing the offside trap around 4.4 times per game, that’s more than any other team, with Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur closely followed with 3.
What those stats also showcase is that, in terms of distance covered, Villa are 20th in the league table (107km per game), they are 20th when it comes to pressures (145), and 19th when it comes to Final third pressures (47.4) and high turnovers (6.8).
Gary Neville was analysing Villa’s style and how they let the opposition have the ball, they are all set in their positions, whilst constantly moving up the field and then they set the offside trap to perfection.
The Manchester United legend admitted that this is a method that ‘blows my mind’ because he thought it had gone in the game, as he told Sky Sports.
A comparison was made with the great AC Milan sides of the past, managed by the legendary Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello.
Neville explained that this is what you would see from them three decades ago, but now Villa under Emery are replicating it to brilliant effect.
Aston Villa and the offside trap
“It still blows my mind, this high line,” said Neville. “I used to have thought it was gone. This idea of this AC Milan backline that used to push up 30 years go. I thought that had finished in the game. Honestly, I never thought I would see this type of defending again.
“We are seeing it again through brilliant coaching. Actually, they do change the back four, at times. There are lots of cases like Arsenal’s back five that was constant every week and got to know each other. Sometimes they have changed this back four, so new players are having to come in.
“It is mind-blowing, particularly to us (Neville and Jamie Carragher). If you told me to push up like that near my halfway line with a player running that way and time on the ball. Absolutely no chance. Never happening.”
Unai Emery Manager of the Season
Make no bones about it. He stands above them all this season for the job he has done because it is remarkable.
Emery has overachieved with this squad because not many expected Villa to finish fourth at the start of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
READ MORE: Prince William sends ‘amazing’ Champions League message to Unai Emery and Aston Villa squad
It also needs to be noted that Villa had Europe to contend with, whilst those below them, such as Tottenham and Chelsea have been Euroopean-free this season.
And Manchester United and Newcastle United got knocked out of the group stages of the Champions League.
Not forgetting the host of injuries the manager has to deal with. From Tyrone Mings to Emiliano Buendia.
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