Jamie Carragher: You can make an argument that Unai Emery is the third best manager in this Premier League. If you back over the last 12 months since he came in at Villa, if you are talking about Man Utd, Aston Villa are a better coached team than United. There is no doubt about that.
His first choice left back was “unavailable” and his 2nd choice left back was a natural midfielder so he changed the whole teams play style to incorporate one of the fullbacks drifting inside. Nobody had really done that before, now everyone does.
Everyone said that he’d have a problem playing D Silva and Kevin in the same midfield cause “you can’t play 2 #10s” but now several top teams play with two play makers in #8 roles.
He’s now got a world class but unusual player in Haaland who is a striker who really doesn’t get involved in build up and just sits on the shoulder of the last man waiting for chances which everybody said you couldn’t do because the whole team has to be involved to maintain possession against the high pressing that’s common in the prem and it’s also working well for him.
He’s had some other ideas that didn’t work as well that he abandoned but you’ve got to credit his creativity and willingness to try new things despite arm chair experts all calling him a crazy bald fraud time and time again
I think this is doing pep a bit of a disservice.
His first choice left back was “unavailable” and his 2nd choice left back was a natural midfielder so he changed the whole teams play style to incorporate one of the fullbacks drifting inside. Nobody had really done that before, now everyone does.
Everyone said that he’d have a problem playing D Silva and Kevin in the same midfield cause “you can’t play 2 #10s” but now several top teams play with two play makers in #8 roles.
He’s now got a world class but unusual player in Haaland who is a striker who really doesn’t get involved in build up and just sits on the shoulder of the last man waiting for chances which everybody said you couldn’t do because the whole team has to be involved to maintain possession against the high pressing that’s common in the prem and it’s also working well for him.
He’s had some other ideas that didn’t work as well that he abandoned but you’ve got to credit his creativity and willingness to try new things despite arm chair experts all calling him a crazy bald fraud time and time again