Aston Villa are back in Europe after Emery spent less than a full season in charge, and one of his ex-players believes they've hired an exceptional manager
(Image credit: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
Aston Villa are a club transformed in the past 12 months, with Unai Emery replacing Steven Gerrard in the dugout at Villa Park a huge part of that.
Taking over a side devoid of confidence and one which looked destined for a relegation battle, Emery quickly turned Aston Villa's fortunes around, eventually leading them to Europa Conference League qualification.
Ivan Rakitic played under Emery from January 2013 until the end of the 2013/14 season, winning the Europa League as captain before departing for the bright lights of Barcelona.
Rakitic played under Emery at Sevilla (Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite the short amount of time the Croatian spent playing for Emery, Rakitic highlights the manager's true quality, placing him among the very best in his profession.
"Because he did it again at Aston Villa last season, and so many times – I just have to congratulate the people at Villa on having maybe one of the best coaches in the world," Rakitic told FourFourTwo.
"Unai is a guy who lives his... I don’t want to say ‘job’, because I don’t think he looks at it like a job. It’s his world. He lives football 24 hours a day for the whole year. He is able to transmit so many things to his players. He’s one of the most important coaches I’ve had.
Rakitic has returned to Sevilla since his spell at the club a decade ago (Image credit: Getty Images)
"It was a shame to be with him for only one and a half years, because he is a coach to enjoy in every moment, at every training session. I was proud to do big things with him, and congrats to Villa because everything that comes will be amazing."
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While Aston Villa have started the 2023/24 season inconsistently - they've lost 5-1 to Newcastle and 3-0 to Liverpool, but won 4-0 and 3-1 against Everton and Burnley - they'll be confident of their chances of progression in the Europa Conference League.
Emery has won three Europa League trophies in his time as a manager, and the summer additions of Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres and Nicolo Zaniolo highlight Villa's ambitions both domestically and on the continent.
Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.
