Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen has provided a glowing review of the impact Unai Emery and his coaching staff have made thus far.
Emery was appointed as Villa boss in late October and went on to oversee back-to-back Premier League wins prior to the World Cup break.
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While it’s hoped that we can pick up from where we left off when the season resumes on Boxing Day, there is genuine hope and belief that Emery can take the club forward and move us closer to achieving our objectives, both short-term and long-term.
Albeit a back-up option for Emiliano Martinez, Olsen did feature in the Carabao Cup defeat to Man Utd earlier this month in his first appearance under Emery, and although he was guilty of making a costly mistake that night, he has offered nothing but positive insight into what Emery and his team have brought to the club since their arrival.
“He has been interesting. He is actually a very knowledgeable coach who has come in with his philosophy. Just seeing how he and his team work is incredibly impressive,” Olsen told Expressen. “The time they put in, all the details and everything, it just shows what a top coach he is. That makes it very nice and inspiring to play under him.
“They (the coaching staff) came in with new ideas and the new idea is to play from the back. This means that you take risks. I think it went very well, even though we only had one and a half weeks together. We are a completely different team under Emery.”
Beyond the results, which were much-needed to give all concerned a big boost, the most impressive aspect of Emery’s tenure thus far is just how quickly he has managed to influence our play both in and out of possession.
There is of course a lot of room for improvement still, but Villa showed stand-out defensive organisation and resilience prior to the break, and we started to display a sense of direction and style in our attacking play too.
While the decision to play out from the back will be criticised by some, particularly after Martinez also made a mistake at Brighton which led to a goal, if that’s the way Emery wants his team to play, they simply have to improve or risk being replaced by others who can carry out those instructions more effectively.
It’s great to hear Olsen share such positive thoughts on the new Villa boss as from the outside looking in, we can see there have been real improvements made already under a manager with pedigree and experience at the top level and who is known for his coaching ability and tactical know-how.
It’s hoped that the players continue to improve under his stewardship and we continue to see progression moving forward.
