Emery looks to show Villa can compete with elite

Unai Emery walked into Villa Park four years ago with two clear aims.

"My dream is to win a trophy with Aston Villa. It's my challenge," he said at his unveiling in November 2022.

"My second dream and my objective could be to play with Aston Villa in Europe. But now, we have to start thinking only the next match because we are not in good position in the table now."

Fast-forward to today and Villa will run out at the Nou Camp to face Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night, having won the Europa League in May and with it ending a 30-year trophy drought.

Emery has already achieved his goals, which has led to natural speculation about the next step - with Villa or elsewhere.

Villa were angered to the point of threatening legal action when Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said Emery would want to manage an elite club, with Manchester United admirers.

Villa, though, see themselves as a club ready to join the elite - having challenged them in the Premier League and Europe for the past two years - with Emery leading the way.

Emery celebrates his 55th birthday on Tuesday by facing Barca back in his home country.

Carragher's assertion the Spaniard would be open to leaving Villa was naive, given how much Emery controls matters at the club and the success he has had with them, even if it was not the most sensational of opinions.

He signed his most recent contract in May 2024, taking him to 2029, so Villa are protected - but there will ultimately be a new deal following the Europa League triumph.

He has taken Villa up the pecking order, but they are still not at the top of it - though they remain well placed, as the signing of Johan Manzambi from Freiburg showed.

Villa still lost players in the summer to traditionally bigger clubs: Emi Martinez, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne, with Ollie Watkins also leaving for Saudi Arabia. But the changes have given Emery new vigour.

Nights at the Nou Camp give the Spaniard the chance to prove his worth and the progress made at Villa.

"We are constantly seeking new challenges and we want to respond in games against Barcelona to see how far we are from them," he said.

"We won it [the European Cup] in 1982 and right now we are enjoying reminiscing with our fans, playing in this competition again, and trying to repeat that success.

"Barca are favourites because of the present and what they have done over the last 10 years, but they need to confirm their favourite role.

"The way this league stage goes, to end up finishing it in the first eight we need to avoid any kind of surprise.

"There will be times during the season when you walk your own path, but it needs to be clear the second part of the season is when things will be decided.

"Barcelona have six points, we have nine. We need to find out our personality and make the most of our qualities."

Emery was handed carte blanche to change Villa when he was appointed as Steven Gerrard's successor, and he has transformed them from Premier League strugglers to Europa League winners and Champions League challengers.

His methods are intense - players can have several long meetings during the week and can take months to adapt to his demands.

For instance, internally, there is an acceptance it is why Aaron Wan-Bissaka has struggled so far this season, having not had the same level of coaching at West Ham.

The exhaustive nature of his character played a part in former president of football operations Monchi leaving last year, with Emery's close confidante needing a break.

But that meticulousness is also what makes Emery and his teams so effective.

Barcelona sources fear Villa and Emery, citing the struggles of Alejandro Balde and Joao Cancelo's lack of defensive instinct at how Villa can exploit them, given Emery's capacity to plan and pounce on an opponent's weakness.

Emery has earned admirers, including Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, following his achievements at Villa, having already won the Europa League three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.

"He is one of the best coaches in Europe and the world. He is very successful," Flick said. "In the way his team plays, you can see a clear structure, and in offence they have different patterns. For me, it is amazing to see his team.

"The start was not easy, but they came back. You can see the confidence they have on the ball, how they play out, and Jackson is at an unbelievable level. For us, it will be a tough game against a good team and, as well, a great coach."

Barca winger Anthony Gordon also called him "one of the best in the world" before the game, even though Emery's record at the Nou Camp is wretched.

He has lost 14 of his 15 games there, having only beaten Barcelona three times in 30 attempts. His last Champions League game at the stadium was Paris St-Germain's collapse as they lost 6-1 in the last 16, having won the first leg 4-0.

It is a record Emery is eager to change to further cement his status and reputation.

"Everything happened in that match, we know," he said, with no English team winning at the Nou Camp since Liverpool in 2007.

"I started in 2004, playing in Europe 16 years in a row, different competitions, I have learned in all the competitions. In that match I learned so much. The necessity of VAR for football in that moment.

"In my experiences they [his games at the Nou Camp] were giving me a lot of info to learn and get better.

"With the players we are speaking about our experiences together, we have our experience in Europe, in the Champions League two years ago.

"We are facing one of the favourite teams to win the competition, it is a huge challenge. We are confident how we are building the team, how we are facing teams like Barcelona .

"We are here progressing, understanding, setting our demands and competing the level we are, this is the challenge we have."