Unai Emery, manager of Aston Villa
Unai Emery, manager of Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
Former striker Alvaro Negredo has credited Unai Emery as one of the biggest influences on his career, but doesn’t think he would suit managing one of the elite clubs in European football.
The Aston Villa manager won the fifth Europa League of his career at the end of last season, ending the Premier League club’s 30-year wait for silverware.
Under Emery, Villa have been the fourth-best team in the Premier League for nearly four years, emphatically answering the critics who questioned him during his time at Arsenal after succeeding Arsene Wenger.
Negredo doesn’t think Emery’s meticulous management style would be as effective at the very biggest teams in Europe as it has been at clubs such as Villa, Villarreal, Sevilla and Valencia.
"He coached me in my last year at Almeria and then again at Sevilla. I think he's a coach who really knew how to get the best out of me and when to push me to perform," Negredo told Flashscore.
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“That year at Almeria was fantastic for me because it was my debut in the Primera Division. Then came the move to Sevilla, and after that, the transformation of my career by signing for a club like Manchester City and finishing that season with 31 goals across the two competitions we played.
“I think Emery is one of the coaches who really marked me as a player. I think he could have gone even further. It's true that he has his own way of working, although I'm sure he has changed a little over the years.
“When I worked with him, he was a coach who used a lot of video analysis and put a lot of emphasis on the opponent. I don't know whether the very best players at clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, City or Bayern Munich would adapt easily to his way of working, because those clubs are extremely difficult to manage.
“Every coach has his own way of working, and you have to respect that. I learned a lot from him, but I also know that he was very demanding. You have to be prepared for that. If you have to deliver a message or win a title, you have to be prepared for the pressure.
“At some point, I think clubs like those will have to take that step and trust a coach who is the right fit for each particular team."
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